I really enjoyed this book and found the interaction between Vic and Jonathan to be intriguing. I’ve always been a fan of paranormal but wasn’t sure how I would find the story. I have to say Jacques has a knack for this genre! The writing was captivating and the story gripping and at times I was quite literally on the edge of my seat. The ending did feel a little rushed but overall this book took me by surprise and I would definitely recommend this one to those who love forbidden romances with a hint of tension.

ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL.

ENGLISH.
You don't know the surprise that I got with this book! I'm not gonna to lie, at the beginning of the story I was curious about John and his adventure but it seemed to me that everything was happening very fast. For a moment I was undecided about whether to continue reading or leave it on DNF but I'm so glad I finished it because it was AMAZING!

The story of John and Vic and his adventure began to get more and more intriguing as I read on. And the mysteries! My God, the mysteries in this book and the plot twists don't let you separate a moment from the story. After 20% of the ARC I could not separate myself from the kindle and I could not stop reading because I NEEDED ANSWERS!
Furthermore, I needed to read more of Vic and John together as a team because let me tell you that these two are pure dynamite and they have that je ne sais quoi, that energy and chemistry that I was so eager to find and read.

The two are vastly different people. For starters, Johnathan is a vampire hunter who was recruited by the Society, a soldier who is eager to prove his worth on this first mission alone. He is smart, attentive and his attention to detail is impressive. On the battlefield or in the face of death he is the model soldier, he is funny and direct but he is clumsy when it comes to relating to others.
Vic, on the other hand, is extremely charismatic and empathetic, he is not the typical vampire who is always calm and in control, that you can hardly imagine that he can feel something, no, Vic is a person with many feelings, many impulses, he is the type of character that you cannot help but love because he is the most precious thing in the world.
I'll be honest with you, I loved these two with passion. Separately they are extremely interesting and lovable characters, BUT TOGETHER THERE IS SPARK!

The two of them are flirting/fighting throughout the whole book and the sexual tension between them makes you wish you didn't finish the book.
Furthermore, the mystery about the murders that have occurred at Cress Haven becomes more and more exciting as you read. I'm not much into reading mystery stories (something I try to change, by the way) but with this story I felt more intrigued and excited, I wanted to know what would happen and how our heroes would end, even more so because this story is full of magic and fantasy. When I started the book I thought it would just be one more vampire story but the truth is that it is MUCH MORE. I'm so glad I gave it a try.

Yes, there were some things that at first I didn't like, such as the fact that at first it seemed that John was trusting Vic very quickly or that it seemed to me that everything was happening at the speed of light but as I got used to it rhythm and I got to know our characters I got used to all the action that is here, in all the chapters something important happens and I liked that a lot, I did not think there was filler and everything that the characters did had me very intrigued.
The ending was somewhat abrupt to me, I would have loved to know much more about what would happen but I just realized that it is the first book in a saga so I am very excited for the continuation!

I started this book looking for something simple, a romance and a mystery and tension between the protagonists but I found something much better and I am very happy to have given it a chance. AAAAHHHHH I already want to read the continuation and see Vic and Johnathan again <3

Btw, the ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks you so much!

ESPAÑOL.
No saben la sorpresa que me llevé con este libro! No les voy a mentir, al principio de la historia tenía curiosidad por John y su aventura pero me pareció que todo estaba sucediendo muy rápido. Por un momento me encontré indecisa sobre si seguir con la lectura o dejarlo en DNF pero me alegra mucho haberlo terminado porque fue INCREÍBLE!

La historia de John y Vic y su aventura empezó a hacerse más y más intrigante conforme seguía leyendo. ¡Y los misterios! Dios mío, los misterios que tiene este libro y los plot twist no te dejan separarte ni un momento de la historia. Pasado el 20% del ARC no me pude separar de la kindle y no pude dejar de leer porque NECESITABA RESPUESTAS!
Más aún, necesitaba leer más de Vic y John juntos como equipo porque dejenme decirles que estos dos son dinamita pura y tienen ese je ne sais quoi, esa energía y química que estaba ansiando encontrar y leer.

Los dos son personas sumamente diferentes. Para empezar, Johnathan es un cazador de vampiros que fue reclutado por la Sociedad, un soldado que está ansioso por probar su valía en esta último misión. Es inteligente, atento, algo torpe y su atención al detalle es impresionante. En el campo de batalla o frente a la muerte es el soldado modelo, es gracioso y directo pero es torpe cuando se trata de relacionarse con otros.
Vic, por otro lado, es sumamente carismático y empático, no es el típico vampiro que siempre está calmado y en control, que apenas puedes imaginarte que pueda sentir algo, no, Vic es una persona con muchos sentimientos, muchos impulsos, es el tipo de personaje que no puedes evitar amar porque es la cosa más preciosa de la vida.
Les seré sincera, amé a estos dos con pasión. Por separado son personajes sumamente interesantes y adorables, PERO JUNTOS HAY CHISPA!

Los dos se la pasan coqueteando/peleando durante todo el libro y la tensión sexual que hay entre ambos te hace desear no terminar el libro.
Más aún, el misterio sobre los asesinatos que han ocurrido en Cress Haven se vuelve más y más emocionante a medida que avanzas en el libro. No soy mucho de leer historias de misterio (algo que intento cambiar, por cierto) pero con esta historia me sentía más intrigada y emocionada, quería saber qué pasaría y cómo terminarían nuestros héroes, más aún porque esta historia está plagada de magia y fantasía. Al empezar el libro pensé que sólo sería una historia más de vampiros pero la verdad es que es MUCHO MÁS. Me alegra muchísimo haberle dado una oportunidad.

Sí hubo algunas cosas que en un principio no me gustaron, como por ejemplo el hecho de que al principio parecía que John estaba confiando muy rápido en Vic o que me parecía que todo estaba sucediendo a la velocidad de la luz pero conforme me fui acostumbrando al ritmo y fui conociendo a nuestros personajes me acostumbré a toda la acción que hay aquí, en todos los capítulos pasa algo importante y eso me gustó mucho, no me pareció que hubiera relleno y cada cosa que los personajes hacían me tenía muy intrigada.
El final sí se me hizo algo abrupto, me hubiera encantado saber mucho más sobre lo que pasaría pero acabo de darme cuenta que es el primer libro de una saga así que estoy muy emocionada por la continuación.

Empecé este libro buscando algo simple, un romance y un misterio y tensión entre los protagonistas pero me encontré con algo muchísimo mejor y me alegra mucho haberle dado una oportunidad. AAAAHHHHH Ya quiero leer la continuación y volver a ver a Vic y Johnathan <3

Btw, el ARC de esta novela fue proporcionado por la editorial a través de NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

Let’s just say that this story is really not what I was expecting after reading the summary of the book. It’s not a bad book, but I was definitely hoping for more, and I am again a minority here since almost everyone seems to love this book.

Jonathan Newman is a Prospect. He is part of The Society, and his sole purpose is to hunt the fiends/vampires that are hiding among people. He is sent to a little town of only a thousand people to try to unmask the fiend hiding in their midst but finds himself thrown into a much bigger problem as he realized that the many murders are not the result of a vampire feeding, but are instead due to demons roaming the woods around the city.

Jonathan is an okay character I guess, he has an interesting backstory, but we learn bits and pieces through flashbacks, and besides that, his character doesn’t hold much appeal. He has no depth and is overall quite generic and bland. He is also naïve to the point where it’s ridicule… Being a part of The Society and being trained to combat and kill fiends that are hiding among humans, I was expecting him to be warier of strangers, or at least more aware of the fact that everything is not as it seems.

Vic is a little more interesting, but again, there is no depth, no connection, and we know nothing about him, his backstory, or what motivates him. The third important character of this book is Alyse. She is presented at first as a strong character but she spent most of the book getting mad at Jonathan or Vic (mostly Jonathan though), and taking care of them when they got hurt. I am not sure what her purpose is in the whole intrigue besides adding someone to create dialogues and to piece Vic and Jonathan back together after they get shot, attacked, stabbed, or mauled by demonic creatures. At least there was a lot of action (well… kind of).

There are a lot of supernatural beings in this book, more than just plain vampires, but there were not many details about the other creatures, and overall it created confusion sometimes. The intrigue was interesting at first, and I was eager to see where it would lead, but now I feel that there were not a lot of clear answers in this book. There is a bunch of explanations that are thrown into the dialogues, but it just felt as if the author was trying to explain the evil entity that took hold of the town, instead of having the characters discovering the truth. There are many secrets in this book, mysterious demonic creatures, secret society, hidden agendas, and more, but we got so little information that it became frustrating instead of keeping us hooked to the story.

This is not what I would call a romance. There is a kind of sexual tension between Jonathan and Vic, but it almost comes out of nowhere and felt a little forced even at times. It was not consistent all throughout the book, sometimes there was a heated glance, a moment when Jonathan couldn’t think, had the urge to touch Vic, or blushed, and then there would be almost no chemistry between them for a few pages until another random “intense moment” happened.

Jonathan went from hating Vic based on a prejudice against vampires(and previous bad experiences), to worry that he might get hurt in the spawn of a day or two. We didn’t really see the evolution of their relationship, it was all very shallow, and I didn’t see a real relationship development between them.

I think this book might be better suited for teenagers who enjoy paranormal and light romance, because honestly besides a few kisses and embraces, there is no romance. The characters are bland and lack depth, and while the plot is interesting, the execution was not one that I enjoyed.

Review published on Goodreads on June 19th, 2021

First of all, I need to commend Kristin Jacques on her phenomenal writing style.

The style of the first several chapters of this book was so evocative of classic horror novels like Dracula and The Haunting of Hill House that I immediately knew this was going to be my cup of tea.

And when the writing segued into a more contemporary fashion later in the novel without losing any quality of description?

What a talent!

Admittedly, this is my first time reading a paranormal romance novel, so my expectations for the genre may be different from more committed fans, but this novel was certainly heavy on the paranormal and light on the romance.

Very light.

In fact, the relationship between Jonathan and Vic built so gradually that I nearly tore through the pages just hoping for a long-overdue declaration of affection. But that's not to say that the delayed gratification was unwelcome.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Rather than Vic immediately imprinting on Jonathan, there is a very nuanced romantic development, as these two men build a relationship based on trust, honesty, and ultimately sacrifice.

And what could be more romantic than that?

I don't really know how to classify this book other than an epic combination of a historical urban fantasy. Like an urban fantasy, there are romantic elements and fantasy creatures hidden in plain sight. The only real difference is that this has an historical setting that will give you sleepy hollow vibes. John is a vampire hunter in training that has been dropped in a village experiencing what he has been told are vampire attacks. He has to prove that he can defeat the creature in order to graduate and simply put, it's not going well. But he's made allies in the enigmatic Vic and brash Alyse, and together they discover a deeper mystery than previously thought.

There is a lot of mystery, fighting and betrayal so your pulse will definitely be pounding. But for romance readers, you'll only get the slowest of burns with a possible hint for more with the HFN ending. It does seem that the author is hinting at a series but that series might focus more on Alyse, rather than Vic and John going forward.

I really like the depiction of the fantasy creatures in this story. It was probably one of the most unique versions of faeries that I've encountered. The vampires were more standard but still had unique attributes. So I would highly recommend this to readers of urban fantasy that want to read something outside the norm.

A Bargain of Blood and Gold was an enjoyable MM PNR tale. I found the premise intriguing, and both Vic and Johnathan were entertaining characters. I appreciated the slow pace of their relationship, which eschewed insta-love in favour of a more gradual deepening of feelings. By the end, there were quite a few 'creatures' to contend with, and once or twice I wished there were fewer so we had more time to get to know each, the rules of their existence etc., a little better, but that's a very small gripe, and since this book is the first in a series, that kind of information may well continue to trickle through as we move through future installments. Overall, though, this was a fun, quick and easy read and is sure to please fans of MM PNR. It gets a solid 4-star rating from me.

If you love edge of your seat paranormal thrillers, this is the book for you. This slow burn vampire/vampire hunter story is full of action, scary monsters, and intrigue as Johnathan and Victor struggle to uncover the dangerous plot that's brought them together. Full of characters you'll fall for and a romance worth waiting on, A Bargain of Blood and Gold is atmospheric and perfectly paced.

A Bargain of Blood and Gold by Kristin Jacques is a supernatural mystery that features a gay romance, vampires and more twists and turns than I was expecting!

This novel follows Jonathan, a novice vampire hunter on his first real mission, as he arrives in the mysterious town of Cress Haven. A bumpy first arrival leads him to form an unlikely partnership with Vic, a handsome young man that seems to know everyone in town.

Vic is more than he first appears, however. As the pair work together to solve the mystery that’s befallen on Cress Haven, old secrets come to light. When Vic is revealed to be a vampire, he has to fight his attraction to a man tasked with destroying him, while Jonathan’s own past surfaces and long-buried feelings mix with new forbidden desires.

Even if Vic isn’t the murderer, how can Johnathan yearn for his natural enemy?

As the two of them face terrifying encounters with even more terrifying beings, Jonathan learns the world is a stranger place than he knew. As this mystery unfolds, Jonathan learns that those he once trusted have far darker intentions than he ever could have imagined, while Vic has to confront his feelings for the hunter.

Cress Haven holds more sinister secrets than its resident vampire. It holds a secret so great, it could unleash Hell itself.

A Bargain of Blood and Gold is a beautifully written novel, and from a technical standpoint, I found this period piece exceptionally well done. It was vivid and bright, and I was able to follow the story visually in an enjoyable and engaging way with Jacques’ use of language. The characters were well-rounded and complex, and not only because of the multitude of secrets they all seemed to carry.

I really, really enjoyed Jonathan. At his core, this vampire hunter is a loving, caring man who just wants to keep others safe. He’s young, naive, and… well, he’s on his graduation mission, and let's just say he could use a few more classes. But, he’s brave. Endlessly so. He has such a big heart, and he really will go to the ends of the earth to protect those he loves.

And while he carries the burden of a dark past, I enjoyed Jonathan’s constant determination to do good.

Vic was another lovely character, though one who spent some of the book shrouded in mystery. When that mystery is pulled away to reveal who he truly is, however, we learn that Vic isn’t what he seems and he certainly isn’t what Jonathan was taught to believe. Through Vic, we get a compelling look at what makes us human.

Another key player is the fearless Alyse, and I really hope to see more of her in the future.

With that said… I found this book to be a difficult read.

I have to admit, the constant mystery of this book was something I didn’t enjoy. I felt like I never knew what was going on. Every answer we got came with another question, and as the story unfolded, I almost felt like I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, keep up with what was going on.

I thought this was a story about a vampire hunter who falls in love with a vampire. And while it IS a story about that, it’s also a story about monsters, magic, and mystery beyond anything I—or our characters—could have imagined when this book started. With a hefty dose of betrayal and heartache on top.

Beyond that, I would have enjoyed a softer ending. Our heroes win, and then… well, then it’s done. With only two exceptionally short chapters to wrap up the novel, I felt like I didn’t get a moment of luxuriating in their victory like I wanted to. This is definitely a bit of a personal preference, but after everything Jonathan and Vic went through, I would have enjoyed some more time with them at the end.

However, if you enjoy paranormal mystery, I truly think you’ll love this book. The romance is a bit of a back-burner to the twisty and turny plot, but is still well done and built up beautifully. Jacques’ writing is lovely, and the characters in this novel are bold, brash, and painted in colourful strokes of humanity!

This full review is posted on Goodreads and a shorter review will be posted to Instagram.

Thanks to Netgalley and City Owl Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for my my honest feedback!

This book was a fun read for me. I was instantly hooked by the vampire hunter/vampire enemies to lovers arc i knew i was about to embark on but the mystery of the story as a whole was what kept me reading. This is def more of a mistery/fantasy sort of story with a SPRINKLE of romance. Like the tension is there but it doesnt go further then kissing. The book is pretty graphic violence wise but its a book about vampires so its to be expected. The characters were fun and i had no idea where the story was going but i enjoyed every second of the ride. My only real complaint is that i was left wanting more at the end and i'm not sure if this is the first in the series or not but i have so many questions (further explained in the spoilers)!
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***Spoilers from here on out****
So this book def felt like it was setting up for more books to come and if thats the case i am here for it! If not though, i have so many questions about the ending and the characters. First of all, I need to know more about how Vic and Alyse became friends and why her dad is so chill about some single dude hanging with his equally single daughter all the time? The dynamic there was never really explained and i'm a little confused. I also dont understand Alyse's ending and whats driving her and i would love to know more. Also, i have no idea what Johnathan is supposed to be at the end? I felt like that entire part was poorly explained unless i missed something. And what are they gonna do in New York? Why did Alyse go to boston instead? What is the society's real end game? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! I'm really hoping this will be a series because of all these things that were left unanswered. Also, i would love to watch Vic and Jonathan's relationship grow since we only scratched the surface of it all in this book!

I am so incredibly weak for vampire/vampire hunter pairings (enemies-to-lovers rears its head) and seeing A Bargain of Blood & Gold with just that trope, I absolutely jumped at the chance to read it!

The main pairing of this book is just a delight. We follow our hunter Jonathan, a young Prospective of the Society, a group that deals with the supernatural threats against humanity, who’s dropped off in a small backwater town in Maine to deal with the local vampire problem. (As one may guess, there is, in fact, more than just a vampire problem). John, while somewhat naïve due to his youth, is still quite a fun character to follow because of how clever he is. The Society trained him well. The other half of this pairing is local vampire and town’s most attractive/charismatic bachelor, Vic, who cheerfully flirts with John any opportunity he gets while also proving to be quite helpful in this investigation. I just lived for the banter between these two. There’s so much growth in this relationship, as John first meets an unfairly attractive man, as John goes through the crisis of realize the unfairly attractive man is a vampire, and as John slowly reconciles those two facts together.

For those curious, Vic is of the grassfed, vegetarian style, killing humans for food bad, breed of vampire. So the enemies-to-lovers aspect is a fairly one-sided.

I can’t say much about the plot without giving away details, but I will say I did enjoy the murder mystery storyline. I was surprised by the number of components(and some of the foreshadowing) that were introduced and it’s clear the author is building up the world for future books! For me, my favorite part was exploring the absolutely fascinating dynamic between John and his childhood father figure (again, no details because spoilers) and I certainly hope to see that more in later books. Overall, a solid 4/5!

Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for this ARC!

A Bargain of Blood and Gold is a paranormal / fantasy that follows Johnathan Newman, a vampire hunter working for a mysterious group called the Society. Upon being assigned to the town of Cress Haven to hunt and eradicate a vampire terrorizing the locals, he inadvertently ends up working with said vampire.

This book is SO much more than just another forbidden-vampire-romance story. It wasn't at the top of my TBR, but I checked out the first few pages and then accidentally read the whole thing. The story took so many unexpected turns, I genuinely had no idea where it was heading. I really enjoyed the writing - the tension and atmosphere was set up from the first page and I knew instantly there was more to the mystery than there appeared.

I loved the characters, I loved Johnathan and Vic's banter, and I loved that their relationship developed so naturally into genuine love. Johnathan's backstory was woven perfectly into the plot, revealing itself gradually throughout the book. Alyse was a delight - the time period that this novel is set is never specified (I don't think) but I am guessing 1800s? Either way, Alyse is a 23 year-old self-declared spinster with more agency, opinions, and backbone than a lot of modern-day female side characters.

I think this is the first book in a series - I really hope so! I definitely recommend this one!

There's a lot of potential and I liked the style of writing. Unfortunately I didn't care for the characters and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

‘A Bargain of Blood and Gold’ was a nice start to the paranormal romance series. I don’t read the paranormal genre very often, but I venture into it from time to time, and this was a quick and enjoyable read, and I enjoyed the fact that LGBTQ+ characters played the main roles in ‘A Bargain of Blood and Gold’. Both Josh and Vic are interesting leads, with a painful backstory we learn as the narrative progresses. Josh’s backstory is particularly fascinating.

There were a lot of different paranormal beings and struggles in ‘A Bargain of Blood and Gold’, which made the narrative a little confusing at times. I struggled a little with the writing style, but overall, ‘A Bargain of Blood and Gold’ was a nice read.

It’s safe to say I really struggled with this early on. At about 20% in I’d been skimming for a while.
Why not just quit?
I nearly did but I’d requested this book from NetGalley and therefore I wanted to finish it.
Plus there was the chance it was just me. So I picked it up again the following night. And again I struggled until about the 25% mark. Before I’d fully realised it I’d stopped skimming and found I was enjoying the story.

From this point I was glad I’d stuck with it. It turned out to be an interesting read. I still wasn’t overly fond of the writing style it seemed to take a long time to get where it was going. I found myself getting frustrated with it at times.

But it did win me over in the end and the way it ended has me considering continuing on when the next book is available.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.

This book sounded so good and seeing some really great reviews I decided to request an ARC. I was excited when I received the ARC but I have to say the story was a let down for me.

The premise of the book is not really what unfolded in the story. There is a lot of supernatural beings and I found it all strange and confusing. Vic is not a vampire like what is usually expected. I couldn’t figure out what his relationship with Alyse was either.

Johnathan was another conundrum who I felt didn’t really grow as a character throughout the story. There was a great backstory for him but I found that more interesting than the events currently happening.

I didn’t feel there were many clear answers, just a bunch of explanations thrown out that included so much information it made my head hurt. It was information overload and it was too much. It seemed as if the author was trying too hard to explain the evil that overtook this town and for me it didn’t work.

This definitely is not a romance. In fact, I felt like the author was holding out on something the entire book. I never felt satisfied in the relationship development between Johnathan & Vic.

This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I didn’t necessarily like Alyse. I spent most of the book wondering what she was there for. She’s supposed to be a strong female character but she gets mad easily and being a strong woman is more than arguing with people or getting annoyed at things. She was there to take care of the many injuries to the men but she never fought in the battles. I felt she could have been so much more and could have been a key to the story that I felt was missing. I also was expecting a story between Johnathan and Vic and this felt more like a threesome without the sex or romance. She was in the way and it detracted from the development of anything happening between Johnathan & Vic.

This book is full of secrets and instead of unfurling at the right times I thought they were kept hidden to the point where I was becoming impatient. I do love stories like this but this just did not work for me.

This one looked interesting and at first the story moved at a decent clip. I didn't much like the writing style, but I thought I could ignore that in favor of a good story. It seemed like a light romance with a backdrop of murder.

And then it got.... weird. The characters became strange and the plot took a dive toward horror. It was uncomfortable to read. Once Stebbins and his off-putting and strange behavior got introduced it felt like a bit of a caricature of cobbled-together symptoms of a mental illness. That's a major nope for me and it was the last straw that had me putting this down.

*Thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for providing an e-arc for review.

I was given an advance copy of this book but my opinions are my own.

The book was fantastic. The atmosphere is both grim and yet fantastical, with characters who seem real. This is also one of the few books I've read in this genre where there is a prominent female character whose identity does not revolve around the men.

If you're looking for an lgbtqia+ book with a lot of sex and little substance, this isn't that book. There is little action, and for most of it there was little to no romance at all. But there was so much world-building and character-depicting that at the end, there was a lot of love.

It feels like a series though this book is complete on its own. There are unanswered questions but for the most part, this story is finished. And i can't wait to read the next one in this universe!

Firstly I want to start off with that I absolutely loved this!
I haven't read anything from Kristin Jacques before, but I can tell you now, I'll definitely be having a bit of a book binge at her other work!

Johnathan and Vic's chemistry was brilliant, funny and honestly so tense at times. I loved not being able to guess what was happening next with the times I couldn't tell if they were on the same side or suddenly running to each other's defence.

I really loved this and would definitely recommend giving it a go!

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. This is a new author to me, but the blurb was intriguing enough that I was willing to try it, and it was a pleasant surprise. From the very beginning, Johnathan caught my attention, and he maintained my interest. (Getting tossed out of a carriage two miles from town will do that.) Despite having lived a tough early life, he still came across as a bit naive, and the dichotomy was both interesting and frustrating. On the one hand, how a former street kid doesn't notice his pocket getting picked was an odd choice, but the part that does make sense is that he is very socially awkward. While the mystery aspect didn't have any huge shocks, I did enjoy the development of the story, and I felt like the characters did pretty well together. Overall, the characters were enjoyable, the story was interesting, and I was intrigued enough that I will probably check out more of the author's work.