Sloane gets the chance for a weekend away with her jet-setting best friend, who is finally back from Europe. The best part of being reunited with her best friend, Sloane, is being together with the person who knows her the most, including the ugly things. One night, in an attempt to be more spontaneous - Sloane agrees to go to a party with a mysteriously handsome man Naomi met the night before. That night will change both of them forever...

Reading a book written by Rachel Harrison is like catching up with my best friend. The characters are always beautifully developed, and I miss them once the book is read. I love how the author can take a female friendship and make it something so intricate and better than an actual marriage. The ups and downs of friendship with new (bloody) issues, learning how to love and forgive yourself in a new world. Somehow Harrison is capable of making me want to become a vampire.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Rachel Harrison for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Rachel Harrison does it again and this time with vampires ! Sloane is living an ordinary life with her cheating husband wen he pays for her and best friend to spend weekend together for her birthday . . Naomi arranges off or them to have a wild night out that changes their lives forever and eternity . This is a fresh take in vampires with all the gore included . I Loved this book and loved the realistic friendship of Naomi and Sloane .

Another feminist-themed, paranormal thriller comes from Rachel Harrison: this time, she takes us into the irresistible charm of a bloodthirsty vampire's mysterious, dark universe.

The story revolves around two best friends who are polar opposites but have proved their loyalty to each other for years, despite tragic events that changed the course of their lives and the paths they've chosen. Sloane Parker, who lost control of her life at a young age, takes her wake-up call in a different way by choosing the safe side: a mediocre executive job at a food company and a mediocre husband who keeps cheating on her. Each day she looks at her reflection in the mirror, she realizes something slowly dies inside of her.

Her best friend, Naomi, chose the wild life path, working with the band where her longtime on-and-off lover is the lead singer, traveling around the world, attending parties, doing drugs, and socializing with different carefree people like her. She seems happy with her unpredictable life path, even though she's leashed to her lover financially, which is not a big win.

When Sloane's husband, Joel, arranges a retreat - a weekend getaway for her that she may spend with her best friend Naomi, who will meet her flying from Germany, instead of being thankful, she gets more dreadful. Especially her 36th birthday does not give her enough excitement, and the probable secret agenda of her husband to drag her out of their house rattles her.

But at least she will meet her best friend, whom she hasn't seen for a long time, and she can enjoy pleasant time in the facilities of the retreat. But what she doesn’t know is Naomi’s plans to push her to live a little wild, which results in finding themselves in an ancient mansion with a group of European people who have wild tastes for celebration.

When Sloane decides to leave the place, her meeting with a mysterious, charismatic stranger named Henry, who might be the first person she can confess her life struggles to, turns into something more intimate. But when she starts questioning the real owner of the mansion, things get out of control, something dangerous gets unleashed, which turns their night into a nightmare.

After that eventful night, nothing will stay the same for them. Is it a curse, or is it a life vest to a person who is drowning? What if this change might be a new beginning for their lives if they handle their thirst appropriately? Could they manage to do that?

Overall, this is an entertaining, dark, bleak, fast-paced page-turner and another great paranormal thriller from the author who never disappoints us! I highly recommend it to genre lovers and devoted fans of Rachel Harrison.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this unputdownable horror novel’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

There were two big things I loved most about this book: 1) how the vampires had to deal with modern technology/problems and 2) Sloane and Naomi's friendship. The parts where they had to deal with cell phones, security cameras, how to do makeup without being able to see yourself, a car breaking down, etc were very funny and unlike any other vampire media I've interacted with. But my favorite part of this whole story is the aforementioned friendship between the two women. Sloane was willing to do anything to help Naomi, and Naomi- although she was a bit of a party girl- was willing to help Sloane as well. Even when they had fights, they still looked out for each other and made sure the other was safe. I did love the romance between Sloane and Henry, but I think Sloane and Naomi's relationship was even better. They were platonic soulmates! All in all a wonderful book; Rachel Harrison remains a top horror author in my mind.

Thank you Berkley for the ARC!

I have enjoyed all of this author's prior work, so I went into this latest novel with sky high expectations. Things got off to a bit of a slow start, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. When the story shifted, I quickly became invested in the two women I had been having trouble with and thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of the story which featured a fabulous example of female friendship, a fair share of vampire gore, a surprising amount of spice. This is such a fast paced read it felt like the story was flying by! Harrison once again employs her trademark wit and humor and presents us with a cast of vampires that I wont soon forget. A very enjoyable take on the traditional vampire tale. Harrison has a great gift for turning our classic monsters into contemporary heroes and villains, always blurring the lines with flair. I look forward to recommending this to my library patrons with a thirst for horror.

I've said this before, and will say it again.... Rachel Harrison is absolutely the best author in this genre. In my eyes, she can do no wrong.... abd when you add complicated females and vampires, you end up with one unputdownable, compulsively enjoyable book. At this point I've read Harrison's take on vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, and even Satan's daughter. I can't imagine what she will write next, but what I CAN say is that her storytelling just gets better and better, so I cannot wait to see what she comes up with. Also, although upon first glance this may not be a book you'd reach for, I'd recommend reconsidering- I read it in two days, even sneaking pages in at my son's soccer game, because it was THAT good.

4 stars

I’ve had a very love/hate w Rachel Harrison from the beginning. This is a love. I loved the characters and the twist on the vampire trope. I loved the female friendship aspect.
This was just all around good. I’m glad I was able to receive this as an arc and I’m so happy I loved it.