This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Dnf’d at 64%
I really wanted to give this book a good fair chance and find out more. But unfortunately the information is so slowly fed to me I’m no longer hungry. I love a lot of 80s media but the time setting didn’t really add anything to the plot, it just allowed to author to reference 80s music and that’s about it. Jonathon, no matter how traumatic a backstory give him, is quite draining as a person who doesn’t really care about his one-dimensional best friend, maybe if she was an old book he’d interact with them more, but alas. This felt like a sequel or like I should already have more information. Maybe Mr Bathory’s reading list is required reading for this book at the very least Dracula feels like it is. I also wonder if reading/knowing its plot would ruin the plot and mystery of this book. I did enjoy the dark moody vibes at the beginning of this book and really wanted to stick it out but I could only bear reading a page at a time towards the end
#ad I received this book as an arc the opinion is my own

This was a great read to wrap up spooky season. In a small college town in Vermont in the late 80s, Jonathan Evergreen discovers there's much more to his cool new Gothic Lit professor than meets the eye. He's inexplicably drawn to Dacian Bathory from first sight.

Be prepared for lots of vampire lore, including Dracula references and what feels like Twilight moments as Jonathan learns more about Dacian and works to solve a supernatural mystery about deaths in town.

While the mystery was pretty clear from the beginning, the author, Kit Vincent, weaves a beautiful tale that addresses identity and societal shunning, drawing parallels between the pitch-fork vampire hunters and the more realistic small town homophobia that Jonathan faced in childhood.

I've really enjoyed both books I've read by Kit Vincent (Us, Et Cetera). There's poetry to their writing that's hard for this non-author to adequately express.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and publisher @victoryeditingngc. The opinions are my own.

Love Immortal was released on October 22nd.

“Love Immortal” by Kit Vincent took me on a haunting, seductive journey that I won’t soon forget. From the first pages, I was captivated by the gothic allure and eerie atmosphere of an isolated Vermont college. Jonathan Evergreen, a bookish sophomore with dreams of preserving rare texts, becomes entangled with the mysterious Professor Dacian Bathory, and their magnetic connection was like a siren call. The story is a love letter to books and libraries, layering the warmth and nostalgia of these spaces with a creeping dread and dark romance that builds beautifully with each chapter. Every scene in the Rare Books library felt like a reverent homage to the power and mystery of ancient stories, a perfect backdrop for a gothic vampire romance that knows exactly how to tease out suspense.

What makes “Love Immortal” unforgettable is the angsty, beautifully tragic connection between Jonathan and Dacian. Both are outsiders scarred by a world that can’t accept them, and their relationship feels like two lost souls finally finding a home in each other. The contrast of Jonathan's youthful longing with Dacian’s ancient sorrow added a deep sense of yearning that made every stolen glance and quiet conversation electric. The suspenseful mystery surrounding the series of drained corpses on campus kept me completely engrossed, and with every twist, I found myself questioning Dacian's motives. Each revelation about Jonathan and Dacian’s pasts felt heartbreakingly real, making their bond that much more profound. The fact that this story unfolds in the 80s adds such a rich layer of atmosphere, making every dark hallway and shadowy corner come to life in a way that’s both nostalgic and chilling.

The writing style is stunning, mixing gothic horror with moments of aching romance, and a dash of steam that felt so well-placed and beautifully written. Vincent’s prose swept me away, especially during those intimate scenes that tread the line between longing and restraint. And the audiobook! The narrator’s voice was incredibly seductive, embodying Dacian’s allure with a tone that perfectly captured the story’s brooding essence. “Love Immortal” is a delicious, dark academia experience that fans of vampires, mystery, and romantic fantasy will fall head over heels for. Just a small warning: the book does deal with some heavy themes, including an off-page suicide, but the story’s depth and beauty make it well worth the emotional ride.

“Love Immortal” by Kit Vincent really embraces the love for (especially Gothic) Literature, vampires and dark academia in a wonderful story. Jonathan is, for me personally, such a fun character to follow as we both share a passion for literature and his curiosity is a very charming point. The way he wants to know who stole a very unique book from the vaults of the library and why this diary might be so important to the thief.
What you also will encounter are also beautiful friendships (looking at you Fiona, Becky and also Jessi 👀), dreams haunting you at night and a story which will speak to your heart. I promise.

4.5 stars

This gave similar vibes as The Lost Boys (1987), while serving a new and more queer take on the lore of Dracula. Needless to say, I loved it. Jonathan is an interesting and layered MC through which we experience the story, and Dacian is our dark and mysterious love interest. I love what was done here. The story is pretty mellow for a good chunk of it, but when the climax hits, there's so much action. The mystery was a tad predictable, but I still had a lot of fun reading this. My main critique is that I wish there were more interactions between our two MCs in the first half. I love the slow burn, but it would have been even better to have more to build onto. That said, this was great. And the ending was a little different, but I liked it. Things were wrapped up, but, I think, there is potential for a continuation. But I don't know if that is a plan for Kit Vincent or not. Either way, this is a wonderful story all on its own.

This book is definitely a slow romance and took my a little bit to get into the story. The research or love of old books by the author shows in the way she describes them in the book. The retelling of Dracula and their twist on the story I just loved, and the back story for Dacien, it rips at you heart strings. The creation of vampires in this book is a nice new version where they were created by a sacrificial ceremony.

The love interest between the two just make you root for the two characters thru the whole book.

Jonathan is in his sophomore year at college. He should be happy, or at least settled — he’s away from his homophobic small town, away from his equally homophobic parents, and working on a degree specializing in rare book preservation — but he’s not. His paid internship was taken by another student, a legacy with family money as opposed to Jonathan and his scholarship, and his Gothic Literature teacher seems to have vanished into thin air, replaced with an all too handsome Dacian Bathory who can barely say Jonathan’s name, let alone look at him. And as he’s replacing Dr. Kowalski both as the professor of Gothic Literature, as well as becoming Jonathan’s new advisor … that’s a problem.

It doesn’t help that Jonathan is developing quite a crush on the tall and darkly handsome man who can quote gothic novels by heart in a voice that can effortlessly capture an entire room’s attention; it’s the way his eyes burn when he looks at Jonathan, the way he shares Jonathan’s love of rare books, the way he may or may not have gotten Jonathan the internship he wanted. It’s bleeding over from reality into his dreams — very erotic dreams.

But when he learns the truth about Dacian, Jonathan isn’t certain if he’s horrified or attracted, or if he even believes— but what else could it be? What other creature, ripped from the very books Jonathan loves, could Dacian be?

Love Immortal has a student/teacher relationship with a distinct age gap and power disparity. And while this is a nicely written book, rolling around in atmosphere and gothic vibes, it’s also a book with some structural problems and a notable lack of character growth from either of its two main characters; in fact, I’d go so far as to say Dacian’s character regresses rather than develops. So, let’s get into the review.

Dacian starts the book as the dramatically handsome new professor who has boys and girls alike swooning over him. He’s mysterious, educated, aloof, adult, and remote. Something in Jonathan seems to call to him, as he’s always where Jonathan is, always there when he’s in trouble, there in Jonathan’s dreams. However, once we learn the truth about what Dacian is and that he’s in love with Jonathan, any sense of that vanishes. No more mystery, no more personality.

Jonathan has some strange, ineffable spark that makes him stand out among all others. The book stops short of calling it reincarnation, but there is the constant comparison of Jonathan to Dacian’s past lover, also called Jonathan, complete with the requisite moments of Jonathan not being like his namesake; no, he’s better because he’d never betray Dacian, never hurt Dacian. Honestly, the romance between them is the worst part of the book for me.

Jonathan is astonishingly isolated. Even his favorite teacher and advisor ditches him without a word and just vanishes for parts unknown. He has one friend, Fiona, who obviously has her own life, leaving Jonathan alone for long stretches, and that’s it. Until Dacian. Jonathan’s last lover (and his first), Clay, killed himself, something Jonathan’s small town blamed him for, much as his parents blamed him for being gay. He’s in a vulnerable state, looking for a parental figure to protect him … and with Dr. Kowalski gone, that role is taken up by Dacian, who quickly becomes everything Jonathan needs him to be. He’s rich, powerful, able to banish Jonathan’s demons and chase away his bullies. He gets him the internship, he loves what Jonathan loves, he’s a tragic soul Jonathan can care for, and while there’s nothing wrong with any of this, Jonathan goes from having a crush to knowing he’d give anything to have Dacian love him within minutes. It doesn’t feel like it’s earned, it doesn’t feel real, and it doesn’t feel like a relationship of equals.

There’s a plot running around about murders and a missing book, about students trying to become paranormal beings themselves, but it’s all shoved into the last 20% of the book or so. And it’s interesting! The information about how beings like Dacian gain their power, how power changes them, and their skills is well done with a lovely gothic edge. But there’s so little of it, and it’s all so rushed along with the big confrontation that I just really wish the book had spent more time on the plot and less on the romance.

The first half of the book is spent on building up Jonathan. His loneliness, his fears, his wants and desires. His life at school, his love of books, his crush on his professor, on his courage. There is a scene, early on, where Jonathan witnesses a fellow student, a legacy, drugging a drink. He could have walked away, but he didn’t, even though it led to him being bullied for months. Nor does he back away from or whine about the bullying. Jonathan is an interesting, selfish, romantic character with flaws, but there’s no character development. From page one to the very last page, he’s still the same person, only now he has a sugar daddy who happens to be a paranormal being.

The final fight scene is two on one

Spoiler title
Jonathan is a liability here,
Spoiler title
Why risk him getting hurt or killed?
And Jonathan, having witnessed the slaughter of dozens of students, having been caught in the middle of this fight, is seemingly fine. He shows no stress, doesn’t appear upset, doesn’t even a tear shed for all those bodies. It feels like he doesn’t care because the book was wrapping up and it’s time to end the story, and while there was a whole fifty percent dedicated to Jonathan’s day-to-day life, there isn’t a single sentence dealing with what Jonathan just witnessed.

It’s a very uneven book, and an unsatisfying one. But the writing is strong, the atmosphere is spot on, there is a great deal of thought put into the world building. The build up of the romance, the crush, was so well established that the relationship felt overly rushed. The plot is good but, again, it’s rushed and sloppy — so much so Jonathan even points out the problems, but it’s met with a shrug and then the book ends.

If you like gothic romances and want a nice autumn read, this one might work for you. But if you’re looking for something more plot forward, you might want to try something else. I am certainly looking forward to more from this author, even if this book didn’t quite do it for me.

This book blends elements of murder mystery, paranormal romance and dark academia. It follows our protagonist Jonathan as he unravels the mysteries of his new literature professor, Dacian. The plot is not very complex but it is most definetely engaging. The whole time I was reading I felt the atmosphere of the university and the tension of the situation. I also felt very close to Jonathan and his desire to become a book conservator, aka my dream job.✨

If you like vampires, academic settings, the 80s, and slow burn romance, I absolutely recommend this book. 🦇

(It is also set in Vermont, which is a state I am absolutely in love with and think about at least once a day. Ugh, take me back to Montpelier and Stowe during fall please. )

This is my first book by this author and I can’t wait to pick up their other works! I am so in love with their writing style!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

I requested this book on a whim (and because I liked the cover) and I am so glad I did because it was the perfect read leading up to Halloween.

Brimming with atmosphere, romance, tension and mysteries, Love Immortal is a beautiful read.

We follow Jonathan Evergreen, a closeted gay college student who is battling with trauma from an incident that happened in his home town. He's hoping to put all of his energy into the new school year but is distracted (and immediately drawn to) by his new Gothic Literature Professor, Dacian Bathory.

We delve into the past demons of both Jonathan and Dacian while also delving into strange occurrences happening in the present - missing townsfolk and bodies drained of blood?

The book is also set in the 80s and gives a dark academia, gothic feel to it which I am already a big fan of. I also think it's a love letter to people who love to read and collect books. Jonathon's desire to be a book conservationist is admirable and very relevant to his past which I think is a beautiful touch that the story added.

The romance between to the two protagonists is slow to build but filled with longing and tension on both sides which culminates into a gorgeous and tender relationship (with some spice).

Overall, I adored this book and I'm looking forward to reading everything else this author has to offer.

I really wanted to like this book. What's not to like? We have vampires, dark academia, and it's all set in the 80s. It sounds like a perfect book for me. But unfortunately it has some flaws.

Firstly, it was a quick read. I'm a slow reader, but it took me just four days, there were moments when I couldn't stop reading. I loved the gothic vibes, and the atmosphere it created.

Furthermore, I'm not sure if I liked the main character - Jonathan, I grew attached to him, but this kid has some serious issues and should talk with a professional instead of focusing on his love life. As for Dacian I really liked him in the first part of the book, but later he got really annoying and there's a lot about his behaviour that was unexplained (the mist dream??). (Also sorry, but his real identity is just too wattpad for me. I understand the idea behind it and how it connects to Jonathan talking about stories and wanting to protect books, but nope I didn't like it.)
Overall, all the characters seem stereotypical, down to supporting black female friend and unfriendly rich kids.

The book has problems with finding its focus. It's a romance, but actually the connection between Jonathan and Dacian feels too shallow, and could be better written. There are Jonathan's issues that are the main focus for the first part of the book and later are almost forgotten, and there's the "stolen book" plot that I solved immediately. And there are moments where Jonathan and Dacian are supposed to focus on finding the book, but instead we get information that nothing happens for a week. And there are a few other weird time skips.

This book feels rushed, like the author just went with the first draft of the book. But it could use more work and editing.

I loved this so much! It’s not a genre I usually read, but after adoring Us, Et Cetera, I had to give this one a try. I ended up loving it even more! It’s definitely going on my list of favorites for this year, and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

This is my second kit Vincent book and I think I loved it even more than Us, etc! Love immortal is very atmospheric, a dark academia gothic novel at its finest. The characters aren’t completely 100 % pure, so realistic things and make mistakes.

The setting is a rainy and dark fall in a prestige school, with a mystery and a queer romance at its core. I loved it

i had a feeling i was going to like this one… i was right!!
this novel follows jonathan evergreen, a young gay man who was recently outed and thus shunned from everyone he knew. set in an old college in vermont during the 80s, it bring you on a journey of love and self discovery (with a bit of mystery mixed in!).

i loved the setting and the characters all felt very 3 dimensional. the themes of book conservation, literature, and the importance of eradicating book burnings are things i feel are very integral to novels, yet not talked about enough so i was so glad to see them in this book!

the romance was also very sweet and i loved both main characters a lot <3 this book never felt like it dragged which sometimes tends to happen with books set in a boarding school / college. the writing style was very smooth, easy to follow, and there were a few scenes that had me wheezing crying throwing up!!

all in all, i loved this novel a lot!! <33

Vampires, romantic fantasy, dark academia? Check, check, and check! Super enjoyable!

Jonathan Evergreen: lover of books, aspiring book conservationist, and a shut-out of his legacy peers and his family who condemned his closeted past relationship. Determined to make it into the exclusive world of book conservation and survive his sophomore year, he throws himself into his studies...only for his advisor and Gothic Lic lecturer to be suddenly retired and replaced with someone new and mysterious.

While Jonathan gets instant flutters looking at Dacian, he is wary of his feelings (and the ethicality of it all), with his suspicions around the sudden change in teachers messing with his naive crush. FORTUNATELY, the love isn't really insta-love and time is given to allow the characters to SLOWLY learn of each other, form something amicable, having whatever ties they have with each other shaken up by a good ole twist, before sinking into amorous and romantic depths.

Now, I was aware this story has vampires in it. I didn't expect it to go the direction it did, in terms of who the story (cough Dacian) was an homage to. I enjoyed the additions the author made to turn the inspiration into something of their own. It lowkey has The Vampire Diaries-type vibes with its vampiric worldbuilding and is somewhere between The Originals and Twilight of the Gods level of gore.

The academia stuff is mainly in the first half, with the supernatural romance in the second, so I wouldn't suggest anyone come to this story solely for its dark academia-ness. However, it's good that it touches on inequality on the basis of sexuality, class, race, and opportunity all throughout it as it pertains to Jonathan and his bestie Fiona. The vampires, of course, add that touch of the occult to make it a little more thrilling.

At its heart, it questions what a monster is, who makes those judgements, and the facets of emotional truths.

Shoutout to Zelda CW for the cover; if it wasn't for me recognising her style, I may not have read this at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ultimately, I have very conflicting feelings about this one. The author sometimes calls the book a romance but it's not listed that way on NetGalley or Amazon so I wasn't sure quite what to expect and that really impacted my reading experience. The end was unsatisfying for what was billed as a romance. Even ignoring that, I thought the pacing was all over the place and Jonathan's best friend is the worst friend for most of it and I'm not sure it's intended that the reader should think she sucks - don't let people treat you like that Jonathan!

The gothic parts are super well done, so atmospheric and engaging. Then the mundane parts are stilted and much too drawn out and slow. Give me more of the gothic vibes! I think if you've enjoyed Vincent's work in the past and are looking for some social commentary, love of books, classic vampire tropes, some *very* dark plot points, and are willing to overlook some pacing and plot issues then check this one out! 3.25 stars

Love Immortal by Kit Vincent is a new queer paranormal romance about a young man and the centuries-old vampire that he becomes enthralled by. It's juicy and almost impossible to put down. It also has lots of fun gothic references and great Dark Academia vibes.

The book is mostly set in 1987 and focuses on Jonathan Evergreen. He's in his Sophomore year at Camden University and is dealing with some past trauma (a forced outing while in high school) and blatant class-based favoritism in his school.

He soon meets Dacian Bathory, the new professor of his Gothic Literature class. Mr. Bathory seems to have hot-and-cold feelings toward Jonathan until they bond over Jonathan's love of old books and his desire to pursue a career in book conservation.

The story is a slow-burn romance between Dacian and Jonathan but it also has a mystery that plays a central role in the plot. I thought the resolution of the mystery was a little obvious but I still enjoyed reading how the characters figured it out. Plus, the book still had a few surprises I didn't see coming. The story always felt propulsive with many chapters ending with cliffhangers or a daunting bit of foreshadowing that made me always want to keep reading.

One of my favorite elements of the story is the class and political issues that are addressed. I also really enjoyed all the gothic references. There are several quotes and mentions of some of my favorite gothic classics. Some even play a role in the plot.

The author of Love Immortal clearly loves books and that shines through in so many ways in this book. If you also love gothic novels, Dark Academia, or are interested in a vampire romantasy, I recommend trying this. I found it to be a quick and fun read!

This is not a perfect book… but it was a perfect book for me.

Love Immortal is an 80s era, dark academia story, set in a sleepy college town in Vermont.

There, sophomore Jonathan lives a lonely, unassuming life, putting his whole heart into his love of books and his hopes to one day study book conservation at Oxford university.

But, with the new school year comes BIG life changes for Jonathan’s quiet existence.

Something sinister begins to unfold on campus, after a hiker goes missing and, soon after, a member of the kitchen staff shows up dead in what seems to be a ritualistic blood draining.

This rightfully sets Jonathan ill-at-ease, especially because these events align with the arrival of his new gothic-lit professor, Dacian Bathory, who is otherworldly beautiful, poised, and intelligent, at once unnerving and captivating Jonathan to dangerously intense degrees.

Soon, he finds himself at the centre of an inexplicable murder-mystery, drawing irrepressibly closer to Dacian, who awakens his long-dormant heart, all while opening Jonathan’s once-small-world to hauntingly frightening revelations, made up of the kind myths and monsters he’s only ever believed to be fiction.

As a romance, this was the most entrancing slow-burn love story I’ve read all year. Absolutely nothing was rushed here and I loved it. I relished in the perfect pacing and thoughtful relationship progression, and the all-consuming intensity of Jonathan and Dacian’s growing feelings and soul-deep connection.

To be clear, this is a book about VAMPIRES. Particularly, one dark, powerful, deadly, spellbinding vampire, whose folklore and legend were so ingeniously reimagined here—in ways that will likely forever change the way I think of vampires and other vampire fiction in general.

The story had a gothic vibe that I really enjoyed, considering it was set at a college campus in Vermont. The writing was beautifully lyrical and atmospherically haunting; the themes often quite macabre in nature, especially during the more exciting, action-filled scenes of the third act, which fit perfectly in tone with the tale being told.

I simply loved this entire reading experience, connecting easily with the writing and the characters, savouring the imaginative take on vampire lore, and absolutely adoring the powerful love story told between Jonathan and Dacian.

Love Immortal is an instant-favourite of mine—one I look forward to reading again and again.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! <3


***A special thanks to Netgalley and Kit Vincent for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

➸ 4 stars

“I prefer the company of books. It's a perfect relationship, really. A book will always open and let you in. You can close it anytime you wish. There's no need for awkward social interactions, and the words inside won't judge you or ask more of you than you can give.”

𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley for the arc!

i had a really fun time reading this! the main characters pov and the writing was very easy to follow which made me feel like i sped through the book! this book progressed very slowly and overall a slower book which i didn’t mind because of how easy it was to read!

I loved the aspect of books in this and the main characters love for books made him really likeable, I really liked jonathan’s character!

mystery/plot wise, it was quite predictable but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment!

“Despite my current aversion to people, something in my chest unclenches, endlessly pleased about the prospect of sharing space with him, of being in his company.”

the only critique i have is that i wish there were more interactions with the two main characters, i felt like it would’ve enhanced their relationship and how readers view that relationship!

“During those moments we shared in the library and by the pond, I felt like he was looking right into me—like he could see inside my heart better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

despite the main characters not interacting as much, i did really like them together! now honestly, it kinda felt a bit insta-lovey but i didn’t hate it! they liked each other from the very beginning but got together at the 70% mark so it wasn’t bad!

“…there’s a book in his hand—a fantasy, by the looks of it. This unbelievably attractive man is spending his Saturday night cooped up alone in the house with a book.”

i found dacian’s character quite intriguing at the beginning, he came off as very mysterious and i wanted to know more! however, i felt like there was so much back and forth with him and i could not figure him out at all through most of this! when questions were finally answers i kinda was just like “oh, okay!” and moved on so i don’t know what else to say about him!

“Your heart called out to me, all ten thousand broken shards of it. How could I not answer when suddenly, in a room full of people, I could only hear you?”

i really wish the book would explore more on the “connection” jonathan and dacian had! it was said many times they were connected, but i wish it was explored further! how and why are they connected? why is it rare? etc etc things like that

“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes. Anything,” I reply, and I mean it. He could wish for anything in the world, And I would burn my soul to ash to grant it.

“I want you. All of you. The way you are now and how you used to be. Good and terrible. You know that, right?”

as i mentioned before, i did really love them together!!! i’m honestly sure that if this book had been a little longer and even a bit dragged out, i would’ve loved it!

“In this world of shadows, Dacian is my anchor. If he disappears, I will become unmoored. Lost in the darkness without the light of his eyes to guide me, I may never find myself again.”

another thing i wish was developed further was the ending. it felt so rushed!! i really liked how dacian got jonathan into oxford but i just wish we saw MORE of them together after what happened previously! even an epilogue where we see them together would’ve been nice! it honestly feels like i haven’t completed the book even though there’s no more pages to turn to!

overall, i enjoyed this reading experience, i liked the story, and i’d say i’d definitely reread this in the future!

I wish I could give this a higher rating. The core story concept is super intriguing, and it helps that I could really feel the author’s personal love of gothic literature come through at certain points. Placing it in the late 80’s was another nice touch, especially for queer dark academia.

But something about the overall prose just didn’t do it for me. The pining and intimacy between the leads was written very well, but that just made the other scenes feel even more under-seasoned by comparison. There was a lot of telling and little showing, and it created this feeling of inconsistency between the story beats and those specific well-written portions between the leads to the point of being distracting.

Dacian was an intriguing character, and it’s a shame that he was the only memorable one out of the entire cast. Everyone else, including the protagonist (Jonathan), was relatively stock. There just wasn’t that much going on with them that made them stick beyond their roles. In Jonathan’s case, it really didn’t help that he had a tendency to solve problems and put the pieces of a mystery together well after the reader would likely have been able to.

It was still a pretty good read overall, and I loved some of the twists near the end, but the weak points are a bit hard for me to look over.