Tag: vampires

REVIEW: Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

REVIEW: Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bacchanalia House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Winnie has a new gig helping someone who needs a professional organizer. And the timing is perfect, getting her out of London and away from her mom and the memories of Patrick… and Claire.

Alaric’s butler has hired the organizer to help him prepare for a ball his mother insists on holding in his home. The problem is that the organizer is a human. And Alaric is a vampire.

Winnie’s job might be too much for one woman to handle in three weeks. But she’s joining a local book club – The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven – and they have a murder to solve. And that’s a nice distraction from her childhood trauma, from her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend who are in town, and from the completely inappropriate feelings she is developing for her client.

But instead of distracting her from her boss, she ends up faking a romantic relationship with him – at first to fool Winnie’s ex and then to fool Alaric’s mother – who has shown up with a woman she expects him to marry.

Review

So fun! I immediately fell in love with this – the characters, the world building, the romance, and the mystery. And the story is LONG – I felt like I really got to dig deep with this. And when I finished the ARC, I immediately bought my own copy and pre-ordered the sequel, A Grave Mistake. Together the books kick off the author’s Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven series, which is a spinoff of an earlier Nevermore Bookshop Mystery series. I haven’t read that series, but plan to try it out. [Sadly for readers, book two has been postponed and pre-orders have been canceled. Happily for the author, she has secured a publishing deal! So book one is being re-released and book two will come out later this year. I guess I will have to re-read Fangs for Nothing while I wait!]

The mystery here – humans drained of blood by a rogue vampire – takes a back seat to the romance, and I was okay with that.  (Pieces of the mystery will carry over into book 2.) The romance between two broken people dealing with past trauma was the central focus, and I adored it so much I was a little sad to discover that Winnie and Alaric won’t be the POV characters for the sequel – but only a little sad because the premise for book 2 is fantastic!

I don’t generally love vampire stories – and I definitely don’t seek them out. But this, while also spicier than my usual read, really worked for me. The world building is well done and clever, and the pacing is terrific. I have an aversion to the word “smut,” so I didn’t love it’s use in the book, but it was a small price to pay for the overall experience of this fantastic story. This was the first book in a LONG time that trumped my other hobbies and chores and bedtime and kept me reading any chance I could find until I finished.

Paranormal romance and fantasy fans as well as vampire fans should definitely pick this up.  This checks a few of the same boxes as my 2024 find, the Riley Thorne series – the paranormal aspects (vampire here, psychic there) in a romance/mystery combo story. This is quite a bit darker than Riley as well as being more serious and more spicy. But I loved it all the same! (Language, sex. Trigger warning: Hoarding, nightmares, obsessive-compulsive behaviors)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ – Outstanding!

REVIEW: My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

REVIEW: My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Cassie Greenberg desperately needs a place to live. She’s being evicted. And she doesn’t want charity from her best friend who is newly married and shouldn’t have to deal with a “houseguest.” And she’s found an option on Craigslist – but it seems too good to be true.

In the end, she decides she can’t be picky and moves in with the unusual Frederick J. Fitzwilliam. He says he sleeps all day and is out most nights, so they’ll hardly ever see each other. Cassie finds his oddly formal language and decorating choices quirky. But he likes her sketches, left at the bottoms of their notes to one another. Things start to smooth out as they settle into a routine. But when Cassie finds their fridge full of blood, it throws a serious wrench into their living situation.

Review

First of all, despite reading the premise for this book before requesting the ARC, I still was operating on the thought that this vampire business would be a big misunderstanding in the end. I was wrong in a big way.

Second, when my husband read the premise of this book, he immediately understood what would happen. And he thought it sounded so quirky and fun, he insisted on buying his own copy. So we both read it at the same time like we were in a husband/wife book club. It was adorable if I do say so myself.

The story here is fun! I liked Cassie and Frederick. They are fascinating on their own – him a centuries old vampire in modern day Chicago and her a young artist devoted to her vision while struggling to  convince others of her work’s value. Together they are adorable. There’s tons of heat and chemistry between them, and there’s a half a chapter or so that was far too spicy to read at work on my lunch hour.

The book’s climax was fairly low stakes and pretty easily resolved, all things considered. It was a bit of a disappointment – I was expecting something with a bit more punch. If you are looking for a spicy paranormal romance that’s not too angsty and stressful, I’d suggest you give this a look. For me it was a fun and somewhat unexpected story. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Ham Helsing, Vampire Hunter by Rich Moyer

REVIEW: Ham Helsing, Vampire Hunter by Rich Moyer

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ham is part of a long line of monster hunters. Most have been big on bravery, but short on smarts. But now it’s Ham’s turn to be in the family business, so he goes to hunt a vampire.

Along the way, Ham makes some interesting friends and discovers evil lurks in unexpected places.

 

Review

This was a hoot! A clever graphic novel with some laughs, a few monsters, and a bit of self-discovery and self-acceptance. I think kids will love this book! There’s some gross bits, some funny bits – and an engaging story from start to finish.

Graphic novel fans and fans of funny adventure stories should give this one a try!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read.