Bookish Thoughts

I picked this book up for some fun fluff. A supernatural fantasy featuring a vampire and a werewolf (and ultimately a witch, but that's the sequel) was exactly what I needed this past Valentine's Day. I wanted something light and silly, and it is that. There are lots of fun puns and references to other books. When Lydia and Kitty Collins are introduced, you barely even need a character description because you know exactly who they are based on their names alone. The author was clearly influenced by Terry Pratchett. And much like a Pratchett book, all that fun and silliness is hiding a profound rage at the world. The social commentary is pointed, even as this world is, in some ways, safer than our own. Which is all to say that this book had a lot more depth and plot than I was expecting. But that didn't take away from the lighthearted fun, and it actually has me excited for the next installment in the series. I can't wait to see how Ursula, the witch who barely appears i...

This book was absolutely delightful. It's a series of comics, charting the growing relationship between a vampire and a werewolf, from their meet-cute at a bar to happily ever after. It was a quick read. I read it in less than an hour (probably less than half an hour), and I had a huge smile on my face the entire time. This will be a good pick-me-up for years to come.

This was an absolutely lovely little paranormal romance. The heroine is a witch who was raised on a vineyard. She uses her magic to take care of the grapes and produce an exceptional vintage. Until someone turns her into a toad. The book opens as she's finally breaking the curse. She returns home to discover that many years have passed and that a new man has bought the vineyard. This new guy is willing to let her stay, but he believes in science not magic, and he doesn't want her casting any spells or other nonsense. But of course the two of them find a way to meet in the middle, figure out who cursed the witch in the first place, and raise the vineyard back up to its former glory with an exceptional vintage of wine. And they kiss and fall in love, too. Really, this whole book was just a wonderful bit of escapism.

I've read a lot of contemporary and historical romance, and October seemed like a good month to dive into paranormal romance. Especially since I saw a trio of vampire romance novels at the library book sale. I'm a sucker for vampires, so I was excited to see how they combine with romance. Unfortunately, I wasn't really a fan of this book. With any vampire story you have to accept the author's own particular twist on the lore, and I couldn't quite get there with this book. The romance relied a bit too much on fate and destiny for me to believe that these two people actually loved each other. And it didn't help that she didn't find out he was a vampire until the very end of the book. I want my heroines going in to their vampiric romances with eyes wide open. I ended up way more interested in the side plots than the main romance. Which was a shame because they both ended up fizzling out and not being that interesting in the end. Maybe I'll check out the...