☆☆☆☆
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He’s a hot, grumpy, reclusive vampire, & the last thing he wants is an interfering human tidying his castle…until her.
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What drew me to the book:
I saw it on Netgalley & was drawn in by the title, the synopsis also sounded fun.
How long it’s been on my TBR:
Since I saw it on Netgalley at some point last month.
My expectations:
Something that will entertain me and that’s it really. I picked it up now as a bit of a palette cleanser between books to better get me in the Vampiric mood.
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My thoughts whilst reading:
At first I found myself a little skeptical, I thought the book was going to be on the shorter side only to find out it was 586 pages & then some of the phrases used just weren’t for me & then there were a multitude of pop culture references which didn’t add anything to the book other than to show the author is current & ‘funny’ & there were a few other things which were ‘no-no’s’ for me quite early in the book & I was thinking ‘this is going to be a slog to get through isn’t it?’ but things started to get better & despite the gajillion references which really irritated me everything else was going okay, I even read a quarter of the book by the end of the first day. Next I was thinking that I need a Reginald to cook for me because his food sounded amazing, especially his hot / iced chocolate. I already knew I’d like Gideon before we met him & I was right, all I’ll say about him though is that he was such a good friend to Alaric. Honestly I didn’t note down a lot of thoughts because I was too busy enjoying myself / the book, everytime I picked it up I couldn’t stop reading like it was so fun. By this point (at least 45% in), I was happy the book was as long as it was, whilst I was initially shocked by the length I was happy with it now, I was having an absolute ball (& by the end I thought the length worked out well). Then I started to consider reading Mina’s series (Nevermore Bookshop Mystery series) although whether I actually will or not I haven’t yet decided). I have to admit that most of my notes are just incoherent scramblings & keyboard smashes or just little comments on the characters. & then it was the ending which I loved as it set up for the sequel exactly how I wanted it to.
How long it took me to read:
7 Days.
Overall:
I had mixed thoughts dependant upon which part of the book I was on, broken down into 3 parts: the start (0%-25%), the middle (25%-75%) & the end (75%-100%).
The start: Honestly, the start wasn’t great for me, there were so many ‘icks’ & things I disliked, by the first 3% alone I wasn’t sure that the book would be for me & by the end of that first 25% I still was unsure. Starting of early with some of the phrases used (I thought that it was a little ‘cringey’) to the MMC just going up to the FMC & touching her despite not knowing her & then kissing her, again without knowing her or even asking for any type of permission which is something I largely dislike. Then one of my least favourite parts of the book, what started out as an innocent reference (comparing Alaric to some ‘dark’ & vampiric characters) soon avalanched into constant & painful pop culture references ranging from Taylor Swift to Emily Henry to Elon Musk, they were truly tedious. Not only did they serve no purpose to the book (other than to poorly date it) they were extremely irritating, every time another one popped up it took me out of the book & ruined the experience. I’m not sure what the point of all the references were, some of them were meant to be humorous, & others just casual references but like I said before, they didn’t add to the book, they didn’t help date the book in a ‘this book is very clearly set in the 2020’s and these references are here to establish that’ way, to me they came across more as just showing that author was funny & current & just wanted to include their favourite pieces of media / artists in their book which is fine in small doses but didn’t work the way they were done in this book. It got so bad that I started a counter for every time there was a reference. Thankfully they simmered down after that initial 25%, I don’t think I could’ve gone the whole book with them. On a more positive note at least I was enjoying the characters, story & relationship and found the setup interesting so far. I especially loved the small things like the chapter illustration headers & how most chapters started with text messages to whoever’s point of view it was, it provided us insight into the characters relationships & even the characters themselves. There were also short chapters dedicated solely to The Nevermore Murder Club & Smutty Book Coven groupchat which were fun.
The middle:
This was easily my favourite & the most enjoyable part, with most the references out the way I was left to fully enjoy the book. From Winnie & her mother’s hoarding to Alaric’s being funny & his passions I was really enjoying watching everything unfold. I was particularly interested in Winnie & her development & seeing where she’d go, whether or not she’d stand up to her bossy business partner. As for Alaric, I found his character enjoyable, he was funny & interesting (although Winnie as a character was more interesting than him) & it was interesting seeing him change over the course of the book, watching his passion turn into something he shared & how he dealt with a lot of the more ‘modern’ & ‘new’ things like Winnie’s music & contraception (his marvel at contraception was so funny, he truly was in awe of it). And of course I can’t leave out the book club, they were a fun addition & I loved seeing Winnie grow closer to them & create more friendships & bonds, especially after Claire’s betrayal & all the stress in her life. It was around this point I was also starting to get convinced that I should read Mina’s series. I had a blast reading this section, I was giggling & kicking my legs & the whole shebang, it was fun & entertaining & what I wanted the book to be.
The end: As for the end, it wasn’t as bad as the beginning but it also wasn’t as great as the middle. We reached the point in the story where we had the third act break-up & whilst this isn’t my favourite thing I thought that how it occurred was well-written, it wasn’t just silly miscommunication or something random but something connected to Winnie & her trauma & pain. After this there was another cliche twice (which I shan’t spoil) but I can’t say I’m too mad as it wasn’t just hastily thrown in at the last 15% but rather shown & clearly is build-up to the next book. I also found it was towards the last 10% that I realised I couldn’t tell half of the book club apart from each other or even remember their names (bar Arabella & Mina), I think a little character guide would’ve been useful explaining who the characters were (& their jobs) just because it would’ve made everything a little easier. Other than that I found the last 25-ish-% to be rather weak although it wasn’t awful or even bad, just not as good as it could’ve been but I can’t really complain as the loose ends were tied-up, the characters had developed & grown & everything came together nicely & to end it all it was hinted who the next books characters were going to be who just so happened to be the characters I wanted it to be, with a nice (but kind of obvious) twist which I can’t wait to further explore in the next book.
Miscellaneous:
I started a pop culture reference counter partway into the book, my final count was 15 but as I didn’t start it straight away I definitely missed some.
Did it meet my expectations:
It didn’t just meet my expectations it was more than what I wanted it to be, it delivered everything I wanted.
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Favourite character:
Okay this is a tough one, I really enjoyed Winnie’s character and reading her story but I loved Alaric so much, he was so funny.
Favourite scene:
Ooh I’m going to have to say when
Favourite relationship:
Obviously Winnie & Alaric’s.
Favourite quote:
‘Gideon Blake will fall on a sword for me, as I would for him. (Although only if the sword is made by a master smith. I don’t eviscerate myself on inferior craftsmanship.)’
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Why I rounded the review up / down*:
Not applicable.
Do I regret reading it:
Not in the slightest, in fact I’m glad I picked it up when I did.
Will I be reading the sequel:
100%
Will I be investing in a physical copy:
I want to!
Do I recommend it:
If you want a fun and entertaining Vampire x Human romance complete with (forbidden) romance and fake dating, murder, a wide cast of characters, friendship, dealing with hoarding and the characters pasts then yes, Fangs for Nothing is the book for you.
*(for rating systems such as Goodreads)
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Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC.

📖 ARC Review

✨Fangs for Nothing by Staffanie Holmes✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🗓️September 10, 2024 (out now!)

Winnie is a professional organizer and creator of the “Winnie Wins System”. She is hired to help Lord Alaric Valerian (who happens to be a broody vampire) declutter his castle. When Alaric’s mother comes to town with a proposition for an arranged marriage, Alaric and Winne pretend to be engaged. In addition to combating the feelings they have for each other (that are only further amplified by the fake engagement), Winne and Alaric - along with Winnie’s book club friends - work together to solve the mystery behind the town’s recent murders.

This book was so good! And just perfect for the Halloween season. I really enjoyed both the plot and the characters. Winnie is such a ball of sunshine! And even though she has her own struggles, she tries her best to be positive and to work through her trauma. Alaric starts off as a dark and brooding character but he’s really just a golden retriever when it comes to Winnie. He’s absolutely head over heels for her. And I loved the friendships Winnie formed with the women in her book club - they’re all so supportive. I’d say the only thing I wasn’t the biggest fan of was the third act breakup, however that resolves quickly. Fangs for Nothing is a part of a series however it can definitely be read as a stand alone. Tropes include fake dating/engagement, murder, mystery, a broody vampire, and grumpy x sunshine. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Thank you to Steaffanie Holmes and NetGalley for this ARC! Fangs for Nothing is out now!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free kindle book in exchange for my honest review!

I had actually seen some of Steffanie Holmes' books before, and have even marked them on my 'to read' list, but never got around to any other them yet. Just more books to read than time. The problem with reading this book, I have found, is that it is a spin-off series. Two other series set in the same world. So now, I have even more books that I need to read immediately. It's a huge problem. I need to read those series now to know more details about these fictional husbands (MC in another series has), like Quoth, a shape sifting raven and Moriarty.

But specifically about this book, I absolutely loved it. A professional organizer (with trauma issues) goes to what she thinks is a normal job. Of course, it's a sexy vampire who is teetering on the edge of being a hoarder. She is fake-dating him, while the book club keeps trying to tell her the man she is working for is a vampire.

I can't wait for the second book in series to come out, but for now, I will be going and reading The Grimdale Graveyard Mysteries and The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries. Between those two series and the other billions of books on my list, I think I can wait a little bit for the next book (but hopefully not too long)!

"'Does this village attract murderers or something?" I joke. "Do you get a two-for one special down at the pub if you've offed someone? This is an awful lot of violent death for a small English village.'"

Hi! Thank you so much for gifting me an ARC of this to read and review.

This was a perfectly executed vampire romance murder mystery (VRMM) with a fun variety cast of characters.

I didn't know I needed this book until I had finished it. The heavy connection to mental health and dealing with the trauma behind hoarding with not only the hoarders but the people the effected with it was eye opening. As someone who has never directly lived with or known a hoarder personally, learning how to be compassionate about those with this affliction was eye opening. Thank you Steffanie for that unexpected lesson.

But on to the romance and characters - I don't take it lightly when I saw this was a perfectly executed VRMM. It really did tick off all the boxes.

Fake dating. Miscommunication and secrets tropes. Friednships and family trauma.

The spice coming in at 40% and not 70% into the book like I am used to was so appreciated, and my goodness the spice was fire! I really enjoyed that the plot really didn't need the spice but my oh my the places and timing it showed up was just amazing!

The comradare between the FMC and the bookclub pals was so intriguing. I instantly went and got the Nevermore Bookclub series and am reading that next!

The chemistry between the grumpy MMC snd FMC was actually well balanced. The attraction was Instant and he was so chivarlous and attentive. Winnie needed help but wanted to be the helper and a lot of the times you could see her struggles of I'm used to being alone I will be fine attitude that contrasted nicely with the I'm glad he came to help me.

I'm glad that it wasn't just the FMC that had trauma. Obviously the hunky centuries old Vampire has trauma too and they way they got to know eachother thru sharing memories and stories while they decluttered his castle was unlike any Romance plot I had seen before. It was just all sorts of kooky and fun.

I could prattle on and about this book but I will stop and say thanks again and I look forward to reading the sequal and I will be sharing this with my own Vampire Loving Bookclub!

I loved the fake dating troupe and the book club was the highlight of this book. If you enjoy vampires this book is a must read. A perfect book for October.

Ok, I absolutely adored this book!! It was the perfect vampy, rom com murder mystery for this fall season. The FMC and MMC have a sweet, witty banter than makes you fall in love with them. I loved the group of ladies in the book club as well. There ARE a lot of characters to keep track of, but I think they each added their own warmth to the friend group and the author did an amazing job throughout the story in having each character be unique add something to the plot. I cannot wait for book 2, A Grave Mistake.

I was kindly gifted an ARC from NetGalley of this book and I’m so thankful. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end and will be purchasing a physical copy for my bookshelf, too. It’s THAT good. 🩸

This book was so good! It was so entertaining and I could not put this book down! The romance was so good and I would highly recommend!

Enjoyed this as a whole but I do think it was a lot longer than it needed to be. Was unclear from the cover that this was a later novel in the series, probably my fault. But a lot of other book stuff was referenced and never fully explained. Making for a strange reading experience. Enjoyed Winnie and Alaric but would like to read more about Reginald’s story. The story does seem to cut off abruptly at the end so if that annoys you be warned.

Setting and overall feel was really great. This book has everything I enjoy: It was a funny book club, with an hilarious and emotional storyline, a charming little village and it was a captivating mystery. The plot was that good, because I felt like the characters were so real and relatable. I highly recommend this to all vamp lovers!

I want to thank Bacchanalia House and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Honestly that was one of the most funny things I've read in quite a time.

Fangs for Nothing is a first book in an upcoming series and it's a good one. Maybe a little to long matter of factly there wasn't that much of a plot to cover in such a long book. It starts with quite typical for fantasy heroine who is in no possesion of knowledge about the paranormal world, but the paranormal world functions just well enough and soon she is swept off her feet by it. Winnie is such a lovely character, I mean I didn't like her entirely but that's not the point, the point is she has had feelings, and traumas and she was so real with every one of them. It was so nice to read about a character who is not fearless beyond the point of good taste, but just brave enough to concured her fears. And Alaric? God bless me, he was so cute with the lack of basic knowledge of modern times. I quickly fell in love with all this romantic twist between that two.

If you're looking for a fun read which involves steamy romance with vampire, a murder case and a book club whose want to ivestigate said case, you just found you're new love. Seriously Steffanie Holmes created something amazing here and I can't wait to read other of her books.

Steffanie is such a fantastic author. I really loved this! Anything she writes is a must read. Vampires AND Fake Dating? Yes please!!! I absolutely will be recommending this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

Heat rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5 peppers



Tropes:
-Vampire🩸🧛‍♂️ MMC x Human FMC
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Fake Relationship
-Crazy Book Club
-Touch Her & Perish 💀 Vibes
-Forced Proximity



You know some hilarity was going to ensue when you have a bubbly sunshine FMC who happens to be a personal organizer who is called to help a reclusive vampire with his slightly hoarder-ish castle. Throw in a meddling book club and I just knew this would be chaotically fun. This is my second book that I have read by Steffanie Holmes the first being "The Man in Black" which I absolutely loved. This story was a ride, when I picked it up, I hadn't realized it was nearly 600 pages, so it took me a bit longer to read than I originally planned. This book had it all romance, vampires, mystery, a smutty book club that also solves crime, and of course some spicy goodness. A few of the scenes had me ready to fan my face, which is strange for me given what I usually read (🔥🤭the ⚔️ lesson and the first time Alaric bit🩸 Winnie). Their relationship was a slower burn.

Winnie Preston: The FMC of this story is a personal organizer; we learn pretty quickly as to why she has pursued this career. This girl has trauma, so much childhood trauma that it is spilling into her work and personal relationships. While I understood her reasoning for picking her job, I still feel like she picked a job that could overwhelm her at any moment. The PTSD and nightmares were fully present for her, I really felt for her at most of the book (minus that last issue at the ball, to me that was an overreaction).

Lord Alaric Valerian: This slightly grumpy reclusive vampire was a gem, a tad eccentric but as a vampire I would expect nothing different. I loved that while he is an artist that he had so many different types of mediums that he worked with rather than just being a sculptor or painter. His history was a dark and lonely tale. I didn't fault him for not telling Winnie absolutely everything I felt his reluctance fit the situation.

Now this might be subjective as this is my opinion but where this story lost a star for me was the relationship tension, I won't delve to heavily into it because I don't want to spoil the story, but I wish for characters that wouldn't run when faced with conflict or things they don’t like. I felt Winnie reached a few instances where she let her emotions rule her and reacted. (I know her past is the root cause, but it just seemed....I don't know, overused I guess as she had gone to the book club when she had been spooked previously). The book club even poked fun at authors doing 3rd act break-ups so I was marginally hopeful that all the climax/final conflict would only be in relation to the FMC's mom, the MMC's mom and her proposed fiancé for her son, or possibly the unaliving mystery in the story. Sadly, I was just a bit disappointed, the book redeemed itself in the end, but I just felt a portion of the relationship conflict was unneeded.

The Nevermore Murder Club & Smutty Book Coven: woo that was a mouthful, these ladies were a riot. I was a smidgen skeptical on their role in the main character's relationship, but it didn’t take long to discover. While they seemed gossipy to begin with that they actually cared for Winnie and had no personal vendettas against Lord Valerian, which was a relief. I really enjoyed the found family/friendship vibes from then. I would say that the mystery side of the plot was present, but it wasn't the main focus for the entirety of the book. More like dropping breadcrumbs of information while more victims are unalived. I felt the bigger plot point was the development of the main character's relationship. Honestly after reading this, I sort of wish a book club like this existed.

Overall, I enjoyed this story it was a nice read to start my October spooky season with. If you are a fan of vampire romances, mysteries, with a dose of spice then you should give Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Bacchanalia House or allowing me the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review.


Favorite Quote:

“But when the night is filled with monsters, you need the worst monster of all on your side”

DNF

Fangs For Nothing by Stephanie Holmes

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks netgalley.

This just did not work for me. The settings perfect. Small town/village, gothic ambiance, castle, vampires, witches, a book club, murder and mystery. The book cover is beautiful! But alas I just could not finish it. I tried, even after the totally non con kiss in the first few page. But..no.

This was such a fun read!! It was longer than I expected but I was so glad to have almost 500 pages of these characters antics and chaos. The story was great and tied In with the authors other works. I haven't read them myself but there was enough information that I didn't feel lost getting to understand the support characters. The main fmc and mmc are adorable and such a great couple

3.5 but Goodreads doesn't let you do decimals

This book was super cute and I could see someone who loves the genre rating this a 4 or 5. I, personally, am not a huge fan of romance books (mainly because of all the tropes) and this book definitely fits the criteria in that regard. But the added element of The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven drew me in and did not disappoint! I absolutely loved the ladies of the club and their dynamic. This book was a semi-spooky cozy fall read. I saw another reviewer call it "silly and fun" and I think that hits the nail on the head!

Some of the things in the books made my eyes roll (SPOILER COMING) <spoiler> like when Winnie tells Alaric she's known him for 3 whole weeks and therefore she just KNOWS he's not a bad guy-that's not verbatim but you get the gist or when neither Winnie nor Alaric realize that he is immortal and won't age and Winnie will age-the way that was handled felt like a really forced conflict in the book that could've been solved by- you guessed it, communication!!. </spoiler>

Even with that, overall, the book was a super fun read and I am interested in reading the other stories set in this world. Also, the cover is absolutely STUNNING. Not that we are supposed to judge books by their cover (but let's be honest, I tend to!).

Thank you, NetGalley for the arc!

4/5 stars! I had a great time!

This review was also shared on Goodreads (and a video version will be posted on YouTube shorts!)

I really enjoyed this book! A fun over the top vampire romance is perfect for October!

The Premise:
Winnie is a professional organizer tasked with organizing a ancient castle for smoking hot vampire lord Alaric Valerian. Sparks fly, but there's murders in the small town of Argleton and with the help Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven, the murders need to be solved so Alaric isn't the primary suspect.

My review:
With Winnie's trauma and Alaric's hoarder like tendencies, at first she is very understanding because it's her job. She also takes the vampire/other supernatural stuff way to easily at first(at first being the operative term). The vampire stuff becomes a much bigger issue for Winnie later on, there are several 3rd act breakups before the REAL third act breakup.

Alaric is like Edward Cullen but if he wasn't against premarital sex. Which is wonderful

The pacing is great! The smut is great (especially from Alaric's POV, I find that MMC pov smut is hit or miss and this is definitely a hit)

My only 'gripe' is the modern references to trendy books, but it's like 1 scene so like I really don't care, in a couple years it might be weird but it won't take anything away from the story if you don't know the books.

Overall probably more like 4.5 stars, I ate this book up. Perfect for Halloween season (or any season, I love vampires)

This book was CUTE and steamy. Mr favorite parts were every time Alaric opened his mouth and the most poetic romantic words came out. I was a little confused by all of the characters and the background stories. I had to look up the authors other series to understand there was a lot of background info I was not aware of, having not read her other series. But overall would definitely recommend this series to a friend!! The perfect romantic vampire story.

What a fun premise! Winnie is a professional organizer with some scars on her heart but an optimistic attitude and a genuine desire to help people. Lord Alaric Valerian is an artistic perfectionist who wants a quiet life alone in his castle (minus Reginald, his loyal thrall of course). In preparation for a dreaded visit by his mother, Alaric hires Winnie to make his home presentable for a ball. They both get more than they expected with instant attraction and a sweet romance that builds over a few weeks.

There were a lot of little details to both Winnie and Alaric that made them imperfect and more realistic. Despite Alaric’s protectiveness, he really was a sweetheart. And I liked Reginald’s character and role in the home as Alaric’s “thrall”, gradually modernizing their lifestyle. It was a fun and no-to-serious take on the genre.

Most of the time though, it seemed like there was just too much on the page without anything actually happening. There were a lot of characters and superfluous information in an attempt at building the series, but the primary story felt like it got lost and bogged down. This 586 page book felt like it would have been better at 400. The plot could have benefited from more focus on the sleuthing and having a better romantic resolution to the third act breakup.

If you are looking for a romantasy that is a mixture of "Twiligt" minus teenagers and "Murder, she wrote" placed in modern times with a very good written spice, this is a book for you!

I was so confused how to rate "Fangs for nothing". When I first started reading it, I thought it was written by 15 year old me as an attempt of a vampire romance. But the book actually turned out to be very good!

The characters are mature, they are not kids or in their early twenties so they deal with the problems in a refreshing way. Of course there are drama, insecurities and mental health issues, but all of them try to change and evolve into a better person. The ladies in the book club are awesome and I need to read more about them. All the characters are lovable. The jokes are on point and I love all the references. I also very much love the way we learn how hard can it be for people to have a mental disorder that looks ridiculous and not serious enough.

Sometimes the development of the story was a bit rushed in my opinion - a situation changes so quickly that I didn't find it believable, but I was not bored at all, not for a moment! I think the cover is beautiful and it depicts the energy of the story quite well.

Thank you to Steffanie Holmes for an eARC in exchange of my honest opinion!

I adore the Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries series (which I haven't finished yet) and was so excited to realize there was a spinoff happening!
I got a few things spoiled for the rest of the main series (nothing major) and that's totally on me, but I do feel things might get confusing for someone who jumps right into Fangs for Nothing.

I devoured the first fifty percent of the book in one day, I truly couldn't put it down! Alaric was dreamy and I love me a broody but kind vampire! Winnie was very similar to Mina as a character, and I couldn't help but make comparisons. The book club meetings and group chats were hilarious.
But then, after Winnie found out about Alaric, I felt like so many new plot points were being added all at once and I unfortunately lost interest.
The wit and humour and pop culture references were fun and engaging, but they started taking me out of the narration and Winnie and Alaric's relationship.
It truly breaks my heart to say it, but it's going to be a dnf for me (for now! there is totally a chance I will return to this book in the future). That being said, I will 100% be continuing the NBM series, as three books in I was truly enjoying every minute.

I'm settling on a three-star rating because I truly enjoyed the first part of the book!