Love Immortal

Kit Vincent has done it again in this veritable love letter to vampire lore, gothic literature, and the 1980s. The meticulous world-building and research have paid off in this richly detailed portrait of the life of a queer college student at an ivy-league-like institution whose path crosses with vampires. In addition to the rich storytelling, it’s also a fiercely intimate tale of two lost souls who find each other. The love story builds slowly throughout the story, perfectly woven with the plot until both reach a crescendo. The story does explore some tough subjects, so please note the content warnings. This was a highly enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it.

I loved this entire book! I read it in 1 night because I couldn't put it down, and the little new twist on a classic story was very interesting and fun!
I loved the dark academia vibes in the late 1900s setting.
The mystery of the diary and the murders were pretty spooky and exciting.
I loved the instant connection between Johnathan and Dacian and how it slowly progressed to a sweet romance that made me absolutely swoon!
Dacians' history and Johnathans past were both incredibly heartbreaking, but I loved that they found happiness and a new beginning together.
I wish it was a little longer, so I could have even more of them together, but the ending was super sweet, so I'm happy with it! I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who loves paranormal romance with a bit of mystery and academic vibes.

Vampires, academia, and an 80s vibe, this book reminded me why I've always loved gothic romance.

There are so many things I love here. The book follows the slow, mystical buildup of the supernatural but it's set on a college campus in the late 1980s so it's never overwhelming. Beautiful genre conventions with a modern air.
To explore the theme more, we get to read a little about gothic classics like Ann Radcliffe's Udolpho and Poe's The Raven, and that's just like candy to little nerdy me.

The character of Dacian is exquisite. He's dark, mysterious, and powerful, like any gothic vampire, but he's also gentle, and kind, and good. He felt like a perfect love interest for this book.

We could say that most things with these gothic themes have been done but I'd beg to disagree. Kit Vincent clearly understood the assignment and did a wonderful job. His execution alone is incredibly immersive and full of monumentally large feelings. (I will always be a fan of huge feelings.) Add to that the sheer weight of quotable lines, I'd argue that this book is more than worth reading.
(Just ask my friends who had to put up with me bombarding them with quotes out of the blue...)

Thank you to the author for trusting me with a free advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A wonderful adaptation that delves deep into queer guilt, truth in the written world and of course gothic literature.

Dacian is a mysterious new professor at Camden. Jonathan is student whose wish is to be a book Conservationist. Jonathan is drawn to Dacian who is beautiful, mysterious and knows more about gothic lit thank any living being. So when people start going missing around campus, dark secrets are revealed and the pair must work together to resolve them.

For a vampire story the author covers so many complex themes with perfection. Being set in 80s America we see the struggle and guilt that surrounds being openly queer. Jonathan who comes to college after the trauma of being outed, disowned and his lovers suicide is understandably wary about finding love or even disclosing his past. Dacian has a similar trauma of being rejected by his lover due to societal pressures of the 1800s. His trauma is also linked to physical torture and Betrayal. Jonathan's quest to make sure the written work no matter its content stays uncensored helps encapsulate the other over arching themes.

I was mesmerised by this story and I can't help wanting a part two. The ending felt a little rushed and could have been drawn out a bit more, but the story as a whole was strong and throughly enjoyable. One of my favourite reads of the year.

So this book is perfect and I love everything about it. Love Immortal is a love letter to centuries of vampire lore from Byron to Stoker to Rice and beyond. It’s a love letter to old books, to literature, to stories, to preservation of the indomitable human spirit. And like all good vampire books, it’s a love letter to being unapologetically queer.
The story itself takes place in a university in a remote part of Vermont in the 80s (be still my heart) and follows a student, Jonathan, as he pursues an education and career in the preservation of human stories, while trying to make a new life for himself after a traumatic past. When the new professor, Dacian Bathory, is mysterious, handsome, and can quote ancient poetry it really only logically follows he’s gotta be a vampire, right? What follows is a dark academia mystery: discussing the classism and prejudice prevalent in those institutions, while Jonathan, Dacian, and Jonathan’s kickass BFF Fiona try to figure out who’s responsible for recent murders on campus and track down a stolen book. Along the way is a beautiful, poignant love story between Jonathan and Dacian which is incredibly swoon worthy and angsty in all the right places. The story is intimate in the most surprising ways, and things told through dreams and Jonathan’s thoughts will remind you so strongly of the classic vampire stories, it scratches that classic itch while also giving you a new hero and storyline.
Vampires, literature about vampires, and history behind the legends, has been a special interest of mine since I was a very young child and because of that I’ll be the first to admit I’m pretty picky about which books regarding vampires I actually like. This one I love. I feel like it pays proper homage to the stories this lore is built on (don’t even get me started on how Stoker used the vampire lore to be a horrible person and badly researched the late great Vlad. That’s another post.) while offering something new and bringing what’s often subtext to text. Jonathan is relatable and strong yet soft, and Dacian is the perfect balance of supernatural creature and loving partner with a scarred past himself. The setting is delicious and palpable, the story heart wrenching and hopeful. This is a wonderful story, and a beautiful book.

Wonderful vampire MM romance. Fun twist of a familiar format. Loved Kit Vincent’s previous books but this is now my favourite.

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