I'm disappointed that I didn't love this as much as I wanted to. The concept was terrific and so many of my friends loved it but I couldn't connect with it. A quick read that many readers will probably enjoy, it ultimately wasn't for me.

This story was well-told and engaging throughout. I think it will definitely find its right audience and continue to inspire.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this graphic novel. I enjoyed the storyline for the most part. The art is beautiful, and I liked following the great characters. Recommended for everyone!

I could see how some readers would love this and it truly is unique. I really wanted to love it but found it repetitive and long and could not finish.

DNF
2019; Andrews McMeel Publishing

I really enjoy Emily McGovern's quirky characters and humour, but I just wasn't into this storyline or Byron. I am looking forward to her next book, which looks to be more about real life.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Unfortunately this was not compatible with my dreaded. I am still quite interested and love the art and plot summary.

This was delightful! I thoroughly enjoyed this, and will definitely be recommending it to other people.

So I took my sweet time about getting around to reading Bloodlust & Bonnets. I don't know why I took so long, especially since I already enjoyed Emily McGovern's webcomic, but I have regrets. It is so much fun and I wish I read it sooner.

McGovern's straightforward and fun art style shows the story well, and the vibrant colours are very appealing. The story itself was a ton of fun. There is a great mixture of literature, history, and complete fantasy, and the "queer misfits" promised on the back cover absolutely delivered exactly what I needed. The sense of humour is great, and I feel like I got a lot of genuine laughs out of it, and I feel like the humour got even better as the story progressed.

This is such a fun book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and funny graphic novel filled with adventure. I hope to see more graphic novels from McGovern in the future.

An amusing adaptation of the Austen narratives, Emily McGovern has an engaging art style and this was a fun read.

An amazing funny and fantastical Graphic Novel!
As a fun of both comedic parodies of early romance troops, and also those same troops. And of vampires. This graphic novel really hits me well and it was joyfull read!
Funny, witty and well drawn and written. A must have at home for re-reads

I was truly excited to be approved on NetGalley for this. Sadly, I couldn't wait until this was done. We just didn't click.

I loved this book! The art was simple but unique, and I found it suited the story perfectly. The plot itself was great and hilarious, and the characters were well-developed and excellent. All in all, I definitely would recommend this book to people who either love regency fiction, The Adventure Zone, or both!

An absolutely delightful, irreverent and hilarious graphic novel that lampoons parodies pretty much every regency romance stereotype. Featuring: Lord Byron! A talking castle! A secret society of vampires! A succubus that lives in the woods! And much, much more! Love it.

Bloodlust and Bonnets was a cute and funny read that went by quickly. A group of misfits, queer rep, and vampires?? What more could you ask for?

Completely and gloriously ridiculous, Bloodlust and Bonnets was the queer paranormal historical graphic novel I never knew I wanted until I was reading it. The illustrations were so much fun but I just really loved the story. It is one of those that had me smiling and laughing and just enjoying the banter and fabulous adventure unfolding before me. I'd loved the author's Harry Potter comics but this was wholly original and a wonderful time in its own right. I would highly recommend this graphic novel for anyone looking for a magnificent time.

(Actual rating 4.5/5) This is a quick, fun read. I loved the humor and quirkiness of the characters; their interactions had me actually chuckling while reading. The story is chaotic and has a little bit of everything, from regency era to vampires to talking castles. The plot isn't really the strong point of the book: it's the characters and their (sometimes weird, always funny) interactions that move the story forward.
I hadn't read Emily McGovern's My Life as a Background Slytherin but reading this convinced me to search for it and I devoured the comic, which proved that the humor in this book wasn't a one-thing-only and made me fall in love with their characters even more. I'm looking forward to see more from them!
The only thing keeping me from giving it 5/5 stars is that I did feel like sometimes it could get a little bit too text-heavy, but that doesn't stop me from recommending it to anyone looking for sometime light and fun to read.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy wants intrigue in her life – and ends up finding vampires, an unstoppably outrageous Lord Byron, and Sham, a rather down-to-earth bounty hunter.

This was a delicious read. The art isn’t terribly complicated, but it’s cute and very personable, and fits the story delightfully well. The characterization shimmers and shines, even in the graphic nature of the book, and the story itself is just exhilarating. Tropes are turned topsy-turvy, blood is spilled, vampires are vanquished. I absolutely adored this story and can, with no equivocation, recommend it as a great read which I devoutly hope is only the first of many!

Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern is a graphic novel that caught my attention with its blurb (see below). It looked like a funny romp and the fact that the author had previous written a webcomic called "My Life As A Background Slytherin" (which I had come across before) was a point in its favour.

Set in early nineteenth-century Britain, Bloodlust & Bonnets follows Lucy, an unworldly debutante who desires a life of passion and intrigue—qualities which earn her the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a local vampire cult.

But before Lucy can embark on her new life of vampiric debauchery, she finds herself unexpectedly thrown together with the flamboyant poet Lord Byron (“from books!”) and a mysterious bounty-hunter named Sham. The unlikely trio lie, flirt, fight, and manipulate each other as they make their way across Britain, disrupting society balls, slaying vampires, and making every effort not to betray their feelings to each other as their personal and romantic lives become increasingly entangled.

In Bloodlust and Bonnets we meet Lucy, who doesn't have much interest in being an ordinary proper Lady type person and who ends up having a bunch of dramatic adventures with Lord Byron (who's a bit useless without realising it) and Sham, who is the most interesting character in the book. The characters encounter rather a lot of violence and vampires and magic. The book has a absurd/silly fun sort of tone and lot of gallivanting around.

It was a fun read, but I felt like it lasted a bit too long. I ended up putting it down for a while when I was about half way through and taking longer than I'd like to come back to it. The issue, I think, was that it maintained the same kind of silly tone throughout and, while there was some plot and intrigue, it mostly moved along near the start and towards the end. The middle was a lot of the same sort of thing, which wasn't bad per se, just samey. Others may find that's exactly what they're looking for, but it didn't really work for me.

3.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2019, Andrews McMeel Publishing
Series: No?
Format read: PDF eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

As a fan of Emily McGovern and her comic My Life As a Background Slytherin, I was honour bound to pick up this graphic novel. I am glad I did because even though it is a step away from her Slytherin comic, Bloodlust and Bonnets retains the irreverent humour and distinct art style.

Similar to how Slytherin is shadowed by the famous Harry Potter cast, Bloodlust and Bonnets features some larger than life but still real life characters – I’m talking Lord Byron. The actual Lord Bryon.

Well not the actual actual Lord Byron, but a humourous and extremely over the top characterisation of the famous and larger than life poet. It is an absolute delight to read and see the exaggerated swooshing and arrogance of Lord Byron in this graphic novel.

From start to finish, Bloodlust and Bonnets is action packed and full of over the top antics that will have you smiling down into the book. I would really recommend this book for people who are fans of McGovern’s comics and really anyone is after a humourous and out there graphic novel.

Please note: I received a copy of Bloodlust and Bonnets from NetGalley.

Bloody and funny! A humorous take on regency romances and vampire hunter books.
Appropriate for high school students or more mature middle schoolers and adults who enjoy a fun romp.