My mother recommended this book to me, so I came into it without knowing a since thing ahead of time. 20 pages in I thought “wait is this a vampire romance? Oh no it’s a vampire romance.”

So yeah it’s a vampire romance, in very much the post-Twilight mid-00s fashion, which feels intensely dated now. It’s a long book with a lot of historical detail which can be fine in some places and overly descriptive in others. Too many things happen at random in the plot, which makes the dramatic payoffs seem unearned. Worst of all the leading vampire hero is stalky, imperious, and controlling, and I detested him from start to finish.

One extra star because I do have a soft spot for romance, and when the plot moves along without being too preposterous it can be un-put-downable. But really, ugh