Cloak of the Vampire

Cloak of the Vampire #1

by Sapir A. Englard

From the author of The Millennium Wolves series comes the hauntingly romantic story of a young woman’s descent into a League of vampires, and the Lord who means to keep her there.

Aileen Henderson’s unassuming life conceals a dark past. Outside of work, she hides behind her larger-than-life best friend, Cassidy, whose constant need for attention suits Aileen—and her secrets—just fine.

Until the night Aileen dies.

Awakening to a new world of brutality, bloodlust, and betrayal, Aileen plots revenge against Ragnor Rayne, the monster who cursed her with the Imprint. The demon who turned her into a vampire. The man whose eyes haunt her dreams.

She is going to make this vampire Lord regret the day he kissed her with the curse of immortality and made her his. If she can survive the Auction, and resist temptations of the flesh…

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal, Romantasy, Audiobook, Urban Fantasy

Audio CD

First published June 18, 2024

About the author

Sapir A. Englard is the author of The Millennium Wolves, an erotic werewolf fantasy series which has been read over 125 million times on Galatea’s mobile app. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Sapir is a full-time writer, public speaker, and music producer. Born and raised in Israel, Sapir enjoys traveling, chatting with readers, and creating new stories. Visit https://www.sapirenglard.com/ to learn more and read excerpts from The Millennium Wolves and other books by Sapir Englard.

Reviews

[maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF'ed at 17% (Chapter 6)

An absolutely ridiculous story that seems like it should have been published in 2013 on Wattpad. The plot of this is essentially vampire hogwarts and/or vampire academy but just, not good.

Our main protagonist is called Aileen and she is the most one-dimensional character I have ever read about. She gives Elena from 'The Vampire Diaries' but 100% worse.

Here are some points that I found so ridiculous that I had to pause and stare out into space:
- The whole reason Aileen gets turned into a vampire is because of her "best friend" Cassidy. I put "best friend" in quotations because Cassidy does not give one flying fuck about Aileen. We're told that Aileen is aware that Cassidy treats her badly but that's the way she likes it because of her past???? Just insane. Also when she first gets turned all she can think about is Cassidy's safety and if she's alright when again, this girl does not give a fuck if you give or die and treats you like shit, and also, you just got turned into a vampire! You've been kidnapped! There are more pressing issues than Cassidy.
- Found it freaking insane that the first minute after she awoke as a vampire, Ragnor Rayne (the love interest and the most basic copy paste of every other vampire lord ever), is asking her about hobbies and talents because apparently that's protocol?? I'm crying why is that important??
- For the first chapters (I think 3 including the prologue) that we see Aileen as a human, we are told that's she's shy, the underdog, meek, wants to blend in, because of her past or what not. Also why she let's her "friends" treat her like shit. The second she's turned, she suddenly has sass?? Smirking, being sarcastic, acting like she's a bad ass to vampires who are older than her and can kill her?? Make it make sense.
- One of the vampires uses the word noob way to often. Is this a Roblox chat room.
- So apparently another way you get turned is by being put on a waiting list. So many questions regarding this. How do humans know about the waiting lists, does this mean humans are aware vampires exist? That doesn't make sense. Are there any requisites or anyone would do? How do these humans know so much about the leagues they want to join beforehand. Is the government aware? lmao
- As mentioned, there are apparently 'Leagues' that one can join. This is where the hogwarts theme comes into play. Their essentially houses than one joins with different lords that rule over them. Also, newly turned vampires have go to school and essentially live in some kind of boarding school to learn stuff idk didn't get that far. So Aileen, our 21 year old high school drop out, dies and now has to go to vampire school. I would want to die (pun not intended)

The list could go on but this is just so bad. I should have known from the blurb and the title but I saw vampire and was intrigued. Save yourselves, there are much more compelling and well-written vampire books on Wattpad or on AO3.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for an arc in exchange for my honest review!

[brittany:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debating on whether or not to reread this or just dive in to book 2…I need a refresher✨🧠

When you can’t remember do you reread or just jump in and hope it clicks..lol?

[Sapir Englard]

It's my book. Yes, it's *my* book.
This is not a drill.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars
─ ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─
Thanks to netgalley and the author for this arc in exchange for my review!
»»———-　　———-««
•POV: Dual POV
•Tropes:
➶ Strangers to enemies to lovers
➶ Vampires
➶ Different Houses/ Leagues
•Spice: 2.5🌶️
•Release Date: 18 June 2024
»»———-　　———-««
Aileen is a girl who has a mysterious (and dark) past. Aileen lived a normal 'boring' everyday life until that suddenly changed one day. She encounters a vampire, gets an imprint and becomes a vampire against her own will. That was the moment when she swore to herself that she would get revenge on the Ragnor Rayne who gave her an imprint.
What she doesn't know is that Ragnor Rayne is someone who is a powerful person. When she finds out that her future is uncertain as a vampire because of the action, her passion to get revenge on Ragnor Rayne only intensifies.
»»———-　　———-««
➳ I honestly liked this book. At first, I found the plot confusing and I had mixed feelings about the book. But after pushing through the first 6 chapters, it slowly but surely became more interesting for me. It got to a point where I just couldn't put the book down. The writing in the beginning can feel like it's a story which came from Wattpad. But for me it wasn't a problem and I genuinely enjoyed reading the book. Normally it takes me a few days up to a few weeks to finish a book but I read this one in 2 days. I found it an entertaining and fun read.

➳ I liked it how Aileen's character developed throughout the book. Another thing which I loved about the book was Ragnor Rayne. He slowly started to open up and express his emotions towards Aileen. I absolutely LOVED the tension between the FMC and MMC.

➳ The cliffhanger was something which I totally DIDN'T expect. I will definitely read the next book when it comes out.

»»———-　　———-««
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Physical abuse, blood play, kidnapping, bullying, cutting, servitude, nonconsensual sex, parental sexual abuse.

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ 📢 🚨: Parental sexual abuse, people (technically vampires) being bought.

Oddly enough, I found this book to be entertaining. It held my attention from start to finish. It's odd, though, because it had a few things that I despise, such as sexual abuse, people being sold, and bought, and loveless sex. With loveless sex I feel like the author(s) use it way too much that I've grown a distaste for it. If there's going to be a lot of sex scenes in a book, my preference is for the two to be so in love with each other. Along the lines of books by Nicholas Sparks. This story wasn't roses like that, though, so I guess the sex was fitting. I felt bad for Aileen (MC). She had such a rough childhood and life in general. She just wanted someone to love and accept her. And having something life changing forced against her will was crazy. I hope her and Ragnor (vampire lord) never come into contact again. I'm being vague, so I don't spoil anything. There's a lot of cruel things and situations in this story, and yet I was entertained. So that's why I figured I'd give it 4 stars. I don't know if I'll read the 2nd book in this series or not. Other than entertainment, I did not get anything from it. I like it when books have an impact on me in some way. I do like reading about vampires, though.

[alexis ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this on the plane. Idk if I wanna read the second book though. I liked it but it kinda lost my attention at the end 😭😭😭

[May Joune · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf @ 9%
i did genuinely try with this book but every character was so insufferable. it has a really interesting premise but i think the execution needs a lot of polishing.

firstly, our fmc aileen has no clear cut personality. she’s not well fleshed out and instead her characterisation leans heavily into her past trauma, but in terms of her personality she goes back and forth between being a bold white knight and then being a submissive helpless character.

then it comes to her friends, who are the most surface level characters i’ve ever read about. no idea how she justified being friends with them because there wasn’t a single time where they seemed to care even a little bit about her.

lastly, the way this li was introduced was so cliche. instantly described as some hot brooding man who gives her the gut instinct to run and never return but there was no build up to this tension at all. and why tf was he quizzing her on talents and hobbies as soon as she wakes up from turning.

the dialogue between all the characters was cringeworthy and felt very juvenile. it gets 2 stars because the writing was bingeable and easy to get through but the story has no substance for me, i think it would need a lot of reworking to add more build up and character establishment in the first few chapters before the pacing of the books speeds up so quickly.

thanks to netgalley and the author for this arc in exchange for my review!! 🤍

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aileen Henderson is perfectly happy with her life as a wallflower. Her small apartment, steady job at a grocery store, and two friends are an easy shield to hide her from her dark past. But when she finds herself in the wrong place at the right time trying to help her best friend, Aileen’s comfortable life is ripped away by Ragnor Rayne, a powerful vampire lord. Forced to become a vampire herself and join his league, Aileen must fight to regain her freedom, even if it means resisting her growing attraction to the man she’s sworn to kill.

So, yes, my free life was a poor, stinky one, but it was mine.
And in less than one minute, Ragnor Rayne had stolen it from me.

This was a rough book to get through. It was very quickly apparent that the writing style and character voices would be better suited for a wattpad fanfiction (and not in a good way). Aileen’s characterization was confusingly random- she was described as ditzy, clueless, a passionate artist, and then simultaneously aggressive, insanely good at martial arts, strategic, but impulsively combatant. I’m not saying multifaceted characters can’t exist, or that these descriptions are an impossible combination to pull off, but it definitely didn’t work in this context. Her character didn’t feel cohesive, more dictated by what the plot needed from her or what the author thought would be cool for a one off scene. These traits were also explicitly told to the reader and rarely earned by Aileen’s actions. She vows to bid her time and exact revenge on Ragnor, but then doesn’t do anything to progress this for the entire book. She was a pretty paper doll to be posed around the plot, without ever making an important decision or actually having a purpose. Ragnor was written similarly, unable to move beyond the “dark and brooding love interest” shadow cast by much better characters in much better books.

The plot, again reminiscent of wattpad, felt episodic without a clear through line, causing strange pacing that either lagged or raced through events. The beginning was particularly bad (which explains the high number of DNF reviews I’ve seen that sit around the 15-20% mark), stumbling through an honestly unnecessary prologue and boring first couple chapters that are wasted establishing a setting/characters that immediately become irrelevant to the rest of the story. The middle really struggled with meandering, making it hard to stay focused on the already weak plot. Each time something interesting was introduced- combat training, visiting the other leagues, vampire lore, Aileen’s past, Ragnor’s past- the story was too scattered to actually sit in these moments and make something of them. Instead, these scenes were used to reiterate that Aileen was cool and mysterious and not like other girls, and Ragnor was also cool and mysterious and wearing a trench coat. The end was abrupt and anticlimactic. The Auction, the major event that will decide Aileen’s fate, isn’t given enough weight to feel real or threatening. It’s kept intentionally vague, but then revealed to be a very lackluster talent show and, self-explanatorily, just a regular auction.

I would excuse the messy plot if this book was committed to being a romance. I get it, not all readers care about the page padding between erotic scenes, but this isn’t that kind of book, despite its half-baked attempt to be. Neither main character was likable. They barely liked each other, and not in a tension filled, clouded-by-revenge, sworn enemies kind of way. Aileen and Ragnor settled for a room temperature FWB relationship pretty quickly, which bumbled along as a sleepy B story and amounted to nothing. Communication between them was nonexistent. This was acknowledged by them and other characters. Every time they almost actually spoke to one another, the scene devolved into hooking up or hollow disagreements that could be solved by, you know, talking to each other. Personally, I enjoyed reading about her conflicted relationship with (what are the odds) her former human boyfriend, Logan, now turned superpowered vampire, who is also a member of Ragnor’s league and conveniently responsible for training Aileen in combat.

I think a lot of the clunky issues with both plot and romance can be explained by a misplaced desire to hook readers into continuing the series. While cliff hangers can be exciting, intentionally teasing only the smallest bits of backstory and larger story lines didn’t entice me to pick up the next book, it made this one dissatisfying and boring. Who will Aileen end up with? What actually happened in Aileen’s dark past? What will happen with the randomly introduced gods that are lore dumped at the 90% mark? I don’t know, and I really don’t care.

To cap it off, here’s my collection of miscellaneous sins that will haunt me if I don’t mention them here. Newly made vampires are unironically called “noobs,” a bold and incorrect choice, which landed horribly every time and made me cringe so hard I nearly DNF-ed for that reason alone. Ragnor Rayne has midnight blue eyes. Have I mentioned he has midnight blue eyes? Don’t worry, if you forget, it’s mentioned 22 times. For the life altering, super important talent show, one vampire chooses to juggle and no one even questions it. The juggling is later performed to the Macarena song. Cassidy, Aileen’s best friend and catalyst for the entire plot who also becomes a vampire, is forgotten about and doesn’t matter at all. Ragnor goes to dinner and orders THREE steaks and a bowl of pasta for himself (vampires don’t need red meat or any special food, this is just his insane order). Vampire powers are influenced by skills developed when human- Logan was a soccer prodigy and has SOCCER SUPERPOWERS. When visiting Las Vegas, Nevada, Aileen is kidnapped and taken to the very real forest that definitely makes sense geographically to exist in the middle of the massive desert that Las Vegas is famous for. Ragnor, the rich, immortal vampire, uses all-in-one shampoo and conditioner.

“You still don’t understand how things work here, do you?" he said in a low, rumbling tone.
Blood rushed up to my face. "I already told you," I said tautly. "You should’ve killed me.”

Cloak of the Vampire was a bit of a goofy, lukewarm ramble. While not for me, I would recommend this for readers who prefer Kindle Unlimited style writing or who are just looking for a fun, turn-off-your-brain read.

1.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

i knew this book wasn't going to get any better when the word noob was used unironically

DNF @ 15%

[PP's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

Who knew books can have dual personalities too because this book, right here, managed to go from silly and inconsistent to intense and unputdownable..just like that! Cloak of the Vampire by Sapir A. Englard did one h3ll of U turn and now I cannot wait for the next installment. This vampire romance is a mix of academy, enemies to lovers and PNR drama thrown together and that can be a bit disorienting a bit but the author managed to get everything together at the end. Ragnor and Aileen definitely have that scorching hot forbidden connection and by the time the cliffhanger came..I was completely invested in it

Aileen Henderson is an ordinary human now. She has a very complex and dark past that she buried meticulously. And her ordinary existence is everything. Then she is imprinted against her consent by vampire lord Ragnor Rayne while trying to save her friend Cassidy and find herself in the strange world of vampire leagues where the newly turned vampires are trained and auctioned off to different Vampire lords. Aileen is lost and angry and sad and Ragnor is confused about it too...but they do feel the attraction.

The first 10-15% can be a bit cringe-y. The whole concept of making new vampires by imprinting and then the academy was full of inconsistency and the vibe wasn't matching my expectations at all. Ragnor was all brooding and sharp and sharp and edgy but why a powerful lord will make mistake of turning someone against rule? Aileen wasn't getting my sympathy either. But slowly I get to know more of her story. She was an outcast in Outer world and here too..Ragnor was trying to show that she is nothing. She faced her ex boyfriend and useless best friend here and she is truly alone. She kept on fighting though when she didn't have any idea what's in future. She is lost and lonely and scared and while she thought Ragnor has a space for her in his heart..because of their chemistry but the auction broke her heart. She had to take help of the ugly past she tried hard to evade. The author managed to put heartbreak and angst there at the end. And I truly felt heartache for Aileen.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

[Nessa’s Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Cloak of the Vampire By Sapir A. Englard


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.

Aileen Henderson leads a quiet life hiding her dark past, finding solace in her vivacious best friend Cassidy. However, everything changes when Aileen dies and awakens to a world of brutality as a vampire.

Fueled by revenge against Ragnor Rayne, the vampire who cursed her, Aileen navigates a dangerous path seeking vengeance.

Amidst the temptations of the flesh and the perils of the Auction, Aileen is determined to make Ragnor regret the day he made her immortal.

Sapir A. Englard masterfully blends suspense, romance, and supernatural elements, ensuring readers remain captivated throughout. The world building was great and a little different from your regular vampire romances.

"Cloak of the Vampire" is the opening act of an interesting series that romantasy lovers will be sinking their teeth into! I know I will be!

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aileen Henderson has always preferred a low-profile life, making it easier to hide her past. One night, it all changes when she dies and wakes up to blood lust in the world of vampires with lords and leagues. Aileen is now set to exact her revenge on Ragnor, who condemned her to this eternal damnation, but first, she must survive the auction.

The leagues of vampires are similar to a coven of witches (in a conceptual way) and the whole displaying of talent and recruitment made it a delicious meal for bookworms. There were a few very steamy scenes in the book so it's not exactly a clean read.

Reading this book felt more like a prequel to the story as there is so much more left to explore, what happens after the auction? What is the role of those mortal Gods? Why are these vamps so afraid of them, and this fierce emotion of frenemy?

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to what happens next, though if it was slightly less smutty I would enjoy the premise more. + The old Gods concepts have yet to be fully introduced, so that's another fruit left hanging on the tree.

[ReneeReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, interesting read. I may continue the series but not until the rest of the books are released. I need to stop reading series that aren’t finished. This one ends on a cliffhanger of sorts.

[cake · Rating 2 out of 5]

the first 40% is like every bad wattpad fanfic, vampires being sorted into houses, magic powers, humans that are in the know signing up, then suddenly it has a decent plot and mystery. most of the characters were annoying, especially cassidy & martini, and had no real purpose. mmc was flat and bland, generic, but there’s room for growth. aileen was also a weirdly written character, girl was all over the place, "i can't get close to anyone" "why did she leave me" "it's better this way" "i can't believe she's forgetting our friendship", GET A GRIP

[Carrie McConn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A written account of my daughter's fever dream, after a dinner of cookies and coffee drinks.

[Markita_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

♡𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰♡
3 🌟
-
This is DUEL narration, and that's a major plus! I enjoy DUEL narration, and these narrators did a good job bringing these characters alive and telling the story. I just wish we got more of the male POV!
Aileen saved Cassidy from physical abuse and surprise. Cassidy turns around and treats Aileen like SHIT! Cassidy is a horrible ass person and Aileen uses the excuses of Cassidy's past life experiences 🙄. This plot is mostly the beginning of this story. Aileen character drove me insane, she is always trying to save somebody, but hell, she couldn't even save herself. But her character development was a plus, but the jumping between Aileen past and present could have been done BETTER. It was extremely confusing when it jumped and didn't tell you. Aileen past was an extremely heavy topic | listen.
-
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
•Vampires
𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 :
•physical abuse
•blood🩸play
•kidnapped &| bullying
•non-consenal sex
•parental sexual abuse
-
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 June.18
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and Brilliance Audio for the (ALC)-audiobook for my honest review.

[britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok hear me out, this wasn’t the best book in the world and at times it was rather cringe BUT the plot is intriguing and worth continuing with the story and for that i give it 4 stars

[opi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its hard to create something new in the Vampire genre (that I haven’t read anyway) that’s exciting and unique enough to pull you in before getting to know the characters. This concept of Vampire lords who turn, train, buy and sell their creations is so interesting! Our main character Aileen remains a mystery even to the reader, even if we know objectively the motivations for her actions and behaviours that the other characters don’t. The constant betrayals she experiences on an already fraught past makes me ache for her. Our lord Ragnor is his own enigma- drawn to Aileen in a way he’s not even sure of, the two can’t seem to stay apart. But he’s her Lord, and she has secrets no one can know. And at the end of the day- he’s going to sell her at the end of her training. It’s drilled into her multiple times throughout the book.
The book leaves me desperate for more, more information, more time and more chances- look forward to reading this once it’s out, as I definitely recommend. Already looking forward to book 2 😉

[Plant Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a description of a book, got so excited and had my expectations literally get demolished.

The plot and ideas are good, the execution and writing are just not it.

For example, some things I had an issue with:
- The second paragraph of the book is one giant run on sentence. It felt like reading a bad Wattpad story with no depth.
- The main character's personality goes from shy and traumatized to badass with unlimited confidence in 5 minutes after being a vampire.

I just could not find anything enjoyable about this. DNF at 40%.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

[Sanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely loved it

[Giuliana Braun · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Sterne

[Tyler | bookishwithty · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑪𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆”” 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘈𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘮𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘩𝘴.
𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘺’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦! 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 4.5 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 5, 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

[Peyton T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this treat in exchange for a review.
3 .5 stars
Eileen is pulled into the world of vampires without her consent, and its a massive mess.

The narrators did amazing with the material. There were a handful of moments that I was truly only hanging on because of how well they did. They both made things engaging.

I think this is a great read for vampire romance readers. It gave me all kinds of early 2000s vibes, and a few language choices also took it back to the 2000s and 2010s, but can we blame the vampires for not changing their lexicon as fast we we do?

I found the atmospheres and settings interesting. I am looking forward to see more of the world thru this series lease.

There were a couple of plot points I found silly and confusing, but I didn't mind them... most of them.... except some of the cringiest sex scenes I have listened to. I am a smut sommelier and this was dry and uncomfortable for me.

I found the characters, all of them, unlikeable, but thankfully some where interesting, so I would like to see where the story continues.

Overall a fun read for those looking for something in the vampire romance category that captures a lot of 90-2010's grunge and attitude.

[Laura R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

So there's vampires. Which, okay, I always like a good vampire book. But then it gets a bit strange with their world. So here, potential vampires have to be on a waiting list and once turned attend classes to learn about being a vampire all for it to culminate in an auction between vampire lords/leagues.

I found that to be interesting and different for sure. But what I didn't like was Alieen herself. She has a crappy "best friend" who never feels like a real friend from page 1. She has a mysterious past that I don't understand. There's gods that, again, I don't understand. And then there's Ragnor Rayne. The vampire she's sworn she'll kill. And yet she seems to forget this everytime she talks to him. She has sass for no reason, she's supposedly a badass but it's never seen on paper, we're just told she is. I honestly couldn't stand her or how she was written.

I'm sure other people will like the mystery, but I personally found it confusing. I did like the dual POVs and enjoyed the narrators.

Actual Rating: 3.5

[Carley Colling · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 🌟 2 🌶️

Urban Fantasy. Vampires. Romance. Mystery. Spice.

Aileen Henderson has a mysterious past she is running from and ends up being turned by a vampire against her will. It follows her journey after that and how to navigate a new world and to get revenge on this vampire. That is pretty hard when she is trying not to fall in love with him. ❤️

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and thank goodness I did. I really enjoyed it from the first page to the last! The spice was excellent. 👌It left me wondering what was next and I immediately was ready for the next book!
When this comes out GO PICK IT UP! Such a good read! 😳

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really intrigued by the magic system within the vampires and certainly interested in the "religion" that the main character seems to be a part of, but highly disappointed in the lack of it that we did get to see.

I think most of my issues with this book stem from the main character. She couldn't decide if she wanted to be some sort of cold bad ass that can handle on her own, or she was a whiny little girl who couldn't stand on her own two feet. Every time I started to like her for standing up for herself she turned into a sniveling baby and made ridiculous choices. Hopefully in the next book she'll have grown a spine.

[Jessica Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5⭐️
2/5🌶️

While I really wanted to love this book I feel more confused now that I finished it than when I started. I know it’s a series but I feel like after the first book I shouldn’t be so confused about the FMC. Also the MMC has like three chapters from his perspective but they are all in 3rd person when the rest of the book is in 1st person. I feel like I need to read the next book just because of my utter confusion about wtf is going on.

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't like this update

I remember reading this when it was originally on Galatea. The plot has changed somewhat, but the ending is a lot different.

I really can't remember disliking the whining of the FMC so much when I first read it, but I'll tell you now that the girl drives me crazy now. All she does is drone on and on about how angry and how much she hates Ragnar for changing her against her will. Never does she stop to think, " 🤔 Hey, I'm in a situation where this vampire would probably kill me, but for some reason, he stopped himself instead." Let's me reasonable - in what world would a deadly person ever let you get away with knowing their secrets. NONE. Of course, he is going to change you into a vampire so that you have a secret to keep . It's better that than dead. Get over it already.

The rest is a backstory that is apparently so abhorrent that it can't be mentioned sooo there really is no backstory or a spotty one, if that. In the original story, Cassie played more of a role but really plays little role in this updated version. A lot is introduced about this world in this book, almost too much, with a very bitter, angry character on one hand and a stoic, cold, aloof, almost uncaring one on the other. I felt like my focus was torn between everything that was going on, on what I should or shouldn't care about. When the loudest inner character voice is a petulant, angry child who is supposed to be a 22ish yo woman, it's hard not to feel mentally out of sorts everytime you read a dialog.

This update has potential but I felt like some of the original parts may have just needed some fleshing out. As is, I feel like the hate and anger the FMC feels is completely over the top and ridiculous for the situation. Too much was introduced to make it overwhelming and I just don't understand any of the world. I don't know if i want to see how the updated second book is.

[Juanita · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to be honest, but this book was not for me. I'm wondering if the author tried to incorporate the "underdog" vibe in this book. If so, it did not work well.

The heroine is a tortured soul who keeps sprouting "they will regret it" or "they will regret the day they were born". This became tiresome fast. The heroine's personality had a dramatic shift from one scene to the next. First, she's timid and suddenly, she's sassy? How even? Where was that hiding?

Additionally, the supporting - and I'm being very generous here - characters were shallow and annoying. One, her so-called friend, Cassidy has too settings: self-absorbed and bitcy. Seriously, even bitches have some redeeming qualities. Logon? Pre-teen like mess who was created to...what? Add a layer of mystery? And then the VR head. For someone who has been alive for so long, one would think that she has more finesse and strategic skills. I don't feel that any of the characters displayed any depth or growth. This brings us to "the list" and the heroine's "turning". I can get behind the list, T.A. White mentioned something similar in her book, however that turning was just plain weird. A kiss??? What? Perhaps I'm too tuned into the dark, bloody vampire scene, but this was just ridiculous.

And then we get the hero. OMG. What a hot mess. He blows hot and cold with the heroine in an annoying pre-teen way. He's not a dark alphahole nor is he a knight. As Queen Charlotte said: "He's a deformed bunny." Does he even know what his personality is? And what was that auction scene? Again, for someone who is as old and gifted as this hero is supposed to be, he does not make strategic moves.

I'm divided on whether I want to continue or not. My curious nature burns to know more about the hidden mystery abilities of the heroine, but I'm not sure if buying the book would be worth it. If I did not have OCD is would have DNF'd this book 3 chapters in.

[Artemissia G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dans l’ensemble, je trouve que ce premier tome nous offre un récit plus aboutit que pour Le Loup du Millénaire, plus sombre et glauque aussi. De ce côté, c’est vraiment une bonne surprise. Le lore autour des vampires, le worlbuilding est intéressant et innovant. J’ai bien aimé découvrir comment est régi leur système social, etc.

Pour ce qui est de l’intrigue, là, par contre, je la trouve assez brouillonne. Aileen est un personnage froid, distant avec lequel je ne me suis pas attachée. Tout comme le héros, Ragnor. Aileen, fraichement transformé déteste sa nouvelle condition de vampire et ne le cache pas au principal intéressé. Lorsqu’elle était humaine, elle faisait tout pour passer inaperçue alors que là, elle rentre dans tout le monde et crie sa rage d’être transformée. Malgré tout, elle garde un passé ultra secret, peut-être trop d’ailleurs. Du coup, j’ai eu l’impression d’une distance entre elle, les autres personnages et nous les lecteurices. De fait, l’amorce de la romance est aussi froide que la banquise et je n’y ai pas cru une seconde. Je n’ai senti aucune alchimie entre Ragnor et elle. Entre les autres et elle non plus d’ailleurs.

C’est dommage, parce que cette histoire a un gros potentiel à mes yeux et le plot twist de fin titille carrément, mais… je ne pense pas lire la suite. Mon ressenti final ne me donne pas envie de poursuivre cette aventure, mais je pense qu’elle plaira à bien d’autres.