This book… this freaking book…. Ahhh. I cannot convey just how much I LOVE this book!!! I was skeptical going in, as it’s not my normal kind of read… but this book truly has something for everyone in it! Love, humor, murder, friendship, magic, vampires, spice, castles, books and more! Winnie is an organizer in her company owned with her friend Faye. Winnie takes a job at a real castle and meets Lord Alaric Valerian (she has no idea she has met him before..eeek) and it’s like instant attraction in more ways than one! She’s helping him organize his castle for a ball his mother is throwing, the humor and sexual tension is hilarious and spicy. But Alaric has a secret Winnie doesn’t know, he’s a vampire! Winnie also joins a book club with a group of different women from town. There is so very much more but truly, read it! I couldn’t put it down! I am so in love with Winnie and Alaric… oh and I heard there is a part two coming? YES PLEASE! 6/5 stars. All stinking day long. I cannot even genre this book, it truly has everything. Absolute MUST read!

Oh wow! I decided to settle down with a drink and read a few chapters before bed … 3am rolls around and I’m over half way through the book!
Right from the get go the amount of descriptors pulled me in creating the world inside my head and gosh is it one I want too see!! The hot stranger who saves her turns out to be hot AND potentially dangerous?? Sign me up!
I just love how the book follows a more light hearted reading experience whilst also exploring deeper topics through our main characters.
People who enjoy the age old grumpy//sunshine trope would love this book, with the in my opinion even better addition of the grump being a tortured vampire artist who struggles to control himself by making many many “failed” artistic attempts.
And though they are both deeply scarred and flawed characters and while they have great romantic chemistry there is so much that they need to discover about themselves and each other while figuring out their new dynamic.

(Also posted on good reads as the book was far too good not to add there)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book—it’s a well-paced, witty read that had me laughing out loud throughout.

Both main characters are sharp and easy to love. Winnie is incredibly relatable with her candid thoughts and humor, while Alaric, the grumpy yet charming vampire, flirts like a pro. His creative passions really shine through, making him all the more endearing.

The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven is packed with quirky, lovable characters. You'll wish you could join them for their weekly meetings! While the murder mystery element could have been explored in more depth, it was still fun and kept me engaged.

Winnie’s backstory, especially her experiences growing up in a hoarder’s household, added emotional depth. Her anxiety and fear around this felt raw and heartbreaking, making her journey all the more compelling.

Alaric’s history was equally fascinating—I could easily read an entire book just about him.

The ending wrapped everything up perfectly, leaving me with a warm, satisfied feeling. My only wish is that Winnie had been less forgiving and a bit more petty toward those who wronged her.

If you’re looking for a spooky rom-com with great friendships, fake dating a vampire, a delightful grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and a sprinkle of murder mystery, I can’t recommend this book enough!

"In time everything crumbles"

When even the walls of his castle have crumbled, when hoped has long since died, lord Alaric Valerian finds himself living his own version of a romantsy novel. Annoying mother, arranged marriage, ballroom party, blood in the celar? All checked. The only thing he needs to do now is survive long enough to see his old castle cleaned and brought back to live. But every vampire seems to be curse with impossible visitors, and Winifred, with her extensive knowledge of Dracula, her smutty books and her "I'm your polar opposite but don't worry I'm nice and absolutely-not-thinking-about-the-time-we-kissed" is going to make things (if you know, you know) hard for him.

"and I wish, I wish more than I have wished for anything else"

Winifred is like everyother reader. She likes smutty books, villians, hot chocolate and keeping things on a very specific way. And, very much like Jonathan Harker, she embarks in a journey to a creepy castle, where she has to reside until she finishes her job. And very much like in Dracula, she starts noticing strange occurances, but also enjoys having a drink while talking to her misterious and very noble host.

Dracula's references aside, Winnie and Alaric's romance is something both touching and funny, with just the right amount of tension and mistery. But well, a witchy town full of "eccentric" people cannot exist without a few dead bodies appearing at the most improper times. My opinion may be a bit biased, but this books is going straight to the vampire corner of my room, right next to Dracula and the few (enough to make Winnie wish to kill me) other vampire books.