crispycritter's Reviews (516)

This book slaps. An amazing setting, super unique monsters, and hysterical interactions between monsters and men. The line about pasta almost took me out.

So torn on how to rate this. Lord St Vincent is the obvious villain here - BUT did Kleypas really have to

make Lillian wasted when Westcliff took her v card? Like not a little tipsy. Slurring her words, having trouble focusing on a conversation, unable to stand up wasted. All St Vinny did was threaten to rape Lillian- MEANWHILE our hero somehow forgot that women as intoxicated as Lillian DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO CONSENT aka we as readers just kinda have to pretend it’s not actually SA.

I would like to think that Kleypas atoned for this bananas plot choice in Love in the Afternoon with Harry Rutledge, also an unlikeable but less rapey lead. *sigh* Like Cam Rohan, I had really loved Marcus in other books and ended up a bit disappointed with his own love story. The way he took advantage of Lillian seemed out of character and unnecessary. 

Still an enjoyable read if you just turn that whole pear brandy episode out of your mind. 

Please I am begging you to at least try to make your fake dating set up plausible. Orcs? Yeah sure ok. A hot orc former high school bully who you “have to” pretend to date for “reasons”? Jail. Straight to jail. 

I was prepared for so much more Kleypas angst. Everyone was way nicer to each other than they usually are (Suddenly You excepted). No notes. Simon and Annabelle are sweeties. 

Listen, this book was not at all marketed correctly and I think that's why it's not more highly rated. It's not reeeaaaallly a horror book (despite being a Goodreads nominee for best Horror last year). It's more a supernatural western romance or a speculative historical romance, emphasis on the romance. As a romance reader, this was a hell yes five star read. But for the folks who don't read romance, they got pretty uppity about Nena and Nestor's relationship being the primary narrative driver here. Which I totally get! If I read one more "romance" that is actually women's fic, I might go throat punch a stranger. Anywayssss if you go into this expecting an epic second chance romance struggling to blossom in 1840s Mexico in the midst of a super scary vampire infestation and the Mexican-American war I think you're gonna have a good time. I inhaled this in less than 24 hours.

Amazing premise, disappointing delivery. Written by a teenage Patrick Batement with little to no self awareness who waffled between wanting us to sympathize with him and wanting us to condemn him. Tolly, our narrator, spent more time complaining about his peanut allergy than he did slashing. One of those frustrating books that was SO CLOSE to being awesome. 

Too tedious to even get to the spice *sigh* so much promise

Meh

I’m just here to keep tabs on Nïx and Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs’s relationship status.