Josephine's Tear by V.I. Davis

This was a very intriguing story, it had me captivated from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the sťabby FMC vibes, along with the gentle and compassionate MMC. The book was detailed in world building, but it didn't take away from the characters. While the main part of the book surrounded the plot, it didn't take away from the characters development. There are a few moments of reflection, but it is hard to overcome for our beautiful FMC.

I feel like the message of this story is that no matter what happens in your life, vengeance of belief, love will conquer all. I hope you check out this Vampire romaranormal as it was a great read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️
2🌶

Tropes:
🩸Slow Burn
🩸Vampires
🩸Enemies-to-lovers
🩸Forced Proximity

"What do you hope for?"
"A bright future where I feel safe."

And it is everything Sophie is fighting for. Giving herself to the vampires to search for the amulet that is rumored to destroy all supernatural creatures.

Sophie's mother is murdered by a vampire right before her eyes. And in order to rid the world of the Dark Witches plaguing society and the Vampires using them for food, Sophie is determined to find the amulet her mother left a note about to end vampires and witches alike.

When the annual selection comes for a human to be offered to a vampire, Sophie makes sure she is chosen by Henry so she can get behind enemy lines to search for the amulet.

When Henry learns the reason she is there, he begins to help her look for the amulet. Sophie is reluctant for the help, but she begins to see that Henry isn't the monster she thought he would be.

The two are racing the clock to find the amulet and activate it in order to bring peace to the world. Can they see through their differences in order to save everyone?

I loved this book. It had it all. Action, intrigue, magic, and vampires, too. Sophie is a strong-willed girl, and Henry definitely had his hands full. This was such a SLOW burn, but it was worth the read, anyway. It held my attention even without being flooded with spice and total romance.

I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for your next sexy, paranormal read!

🌙✨ 𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓑𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓛𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓸𝔀 𝓲𝓷 𝓙𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓹𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮’𝓼 𝓣𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓫𝔂 𝓥.𝓘. 𝓓𝓪𝓿𝓲𝓼 ✨🌙

3.5 rounded up to 4*

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘚𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘹 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 🦇🔮

𝘈 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵-𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯? 💔🔥

“I have just found you, I’m not ready to lose you yet.”

Josephine's Tear brings a refreshing twist to the vampire genre. The portrayal of a vulnerable, apologetic vampire is something rarely seen, making Henry a standout character. Unlike the typical emotionless, stone-like vampires, Henry feels incredibly human, adding depth to his character and making his interactions more relatable.

Interestingly, the witches in this story are depicted as the true antagonists, while most vampires, aside from the menacing ravagers, are portrayed more sympathetically. This reversal of roles adds an intriguing layer to the narrative.

One of the most touching moments is when Josephine falls asleep next to Henry in the cabin, feeling safe in his presence. This scene perfectly captures the warmth and comfort of their relationship. However, the romance between Josephine and Henry feels rushed. She quickly shifts from hating him to loving him, giving the impression of an instant connection rather than a gradual development of feelings. A slower build-up would have made their relationship more believable and engaging.

While the plot is engaging, some elements felt a bit too easy, like stealing the Josephine’s Tear amulet, which lacked the tension and difficulty one might expect. Additionally, the story's pacing seemed hurried, leading to a somewhat predictable ending.
Despite these points, Josephine's Tear offers an enjoyable and unique take on the vampire-witch dynamic.

📅 Josephine’s Tear was released on August 20th 2024.

Special thanks to NetGalley, V.I. Davis and Oliver Heber Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this little vampire book! It's yet another proof that indie books are sometimes so good yet underrated.
Here's some of my initial thoughts:

All my vampire Romantasy girlies need to jump on this asap! Why isn't this book more popular?

I still can't believe this book is a debut. I love indie writers and finding these little hidden gems. 🥹🥹🥹

Josephine's Tear was fun, original and had a bit of an old school vampire vs humans vs witches vibe that I have missed lately. Told in the heroine's POV, it made the mystery that was the broody badass vampire more delicious. Actually, it kind of reminded me of A Discovery of Witches. If you liked that, you will enjoy this story.

Sophie is a strong, relatable, resourceful heroine who will make sacrifices, fight, work with vampires (tho she loathes them) and get in the middle of intrigue, politics and complicated history to save the fate of her people. I was hooked from the very beginning and loved following her journey from young scared girl to savior and figther. Henry was a powerful, badass, delicious presence through it all and their dynamic and slooow burn (I'm talking things finally happen past the 90% mark slow burn😮‍💨) was fun.

4.5⭐️

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and the author for the ARC, I'm looking forward to the next adventure with Sophie and Henry

What a fantastic debut!

It was an engrossing, tension filled paranormal romance. What first drew me in were some of my favourite tropes but from the very first pages I was intrigued by the writing, worldbuilding and the gripping mystery 👀

I loved the background of the story as we are thrown into a world after a vampire-witch war where humans have to partake in an annual event called the Selection. That’s how we meet our FMC who truly loathes the vampires. So get ready for gothic atmosphere, mysteries and an enemies to lovers romance 👀

At the beginning the FMC is lost and set in her views against vampires. She’s been through some traumatic events and I truly loved her character development and how she regained her strength and became a fighter ✨ ✨✨ The MMC is a vampire with golden retriever energy and the banter between the two of them was so enjoyable!!!

It’s a slow burn romance with lots of tension and animosity at the beginning and I ate it up! There’s a sprinkle of spice at the end but it’s not overly descriptive so I think I think it will be perfect for both spice lovers and those who prefer their romance more tame.

The pacing throughout most of the book was great but I felt like at the end it got a little bit rushed. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment and I definitely recommend this book to everyone who wants a fun, gripping paranormal read ♥️♥️♥️

In Sophie Devereaux's world, humanity's only protection from the threat of Dark Witches is vampires. In exchange for safety, humans offer the nobles of each vampire clan a vassal: a companion to feed from, who will be returned home after year's end. After her mother was killed, allegedly at the hands of Dark Witches, Sophie has stepped up to be a vassal herself. But it's not out of gratitude: in truth, her mother was killed by a vampire, and the key to ending the threat of both vampires and Dark Witches lies in a magic amulet somewhere in the manor she now calls home.

As Sophie navigates the world of vampires, she also learns more about her lord, Henry. This handsome, seemingly penitent vampire isn't like the others. As she contends with her feelings for Henry and discoveries about her mother's demise, she seeks out the amulet known as Josephine's Tear. But as the truths of this world become more evident, Sophie's path forward becomes more difficult. In the end, she may have to sacrifice someone she cares about—and perhaps her own humanity—to set things right.

The character work in Josephine's Tear is excellent, and this vampire romance sidesteps (and even calls out) a lot of the issues I personally have with paranormal romance in general. Lack of consent and the involvement of underage parties were both addressed and laid bare in the form of subplots involving the story's less savoury parties. That said, less care seems to be given to the crux of the story. Josephine's Tear itself is a macguffin, there's no denying; however, much of the meat of the story speeds by in a page or two. While it's clear that the focus of the book is the romance, it would be nice to see the seeds of that excellent fantasy adventure plot really bloom. Davis is an excellent new voice with

Josephine’s Tear was a really great blend of romance, action, and fantasy elements. I liked that there were two competing supernatural forces (vampires and witches) that left me with questions throughout the book so I was always on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what would happen.

The love story is a slow burn—definitely not the typical enemies-to-lovers or friends-to-lovers trope. It’s more nuanced, and while I wasn’t entirely drawn into the romance this time around, I can see it blossoming in future books.

What really got to me was Sophie’s drive for revenge against the vampires who wronged her family. Her quest for justice is intense, and you can really feel her pain and determination. There’s a lot more to the story than meets the eye, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.

I’m giving Josephine’s Tear a solid 4 stars. It’s a gripping read with a fascinating world and a compelling lead. If you’re into action-packed fantasy with a touch of romance that’s still finding its footing, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

Set against a world with tense political conflict between supernatural beings, Sophie Devereaux begins a search for an enchanted amulet that may help free humanity from the very beings that threaten their world. Sophie’s search leads her into dangerous territory where she will need to put her differences aside, or at least pretend to, in order to track down her only shot at survival.

This was a slow burn, enemies to lovers story with forced proximity, a determined FMC, and an endearing albeit slightly tortured MMC. The vampire x witch x human power dynamics were extremely strained which made for great background on the political upheaval that drives a lot of the FMC’s decisions in this story.

Sophie is introduced with her own bias and internal conflicts which she is forced to face head on in enemy territory. I loved her character development and the evolution of her relationship with Henry. Henry’s character was a delight and I thought he had just the right amount of broodiness with a dash of mystery.

I appreciated the authors writing style and felt engaged throughout this entire book. She did tear my heart up a bit midway through the story, but I have since forgiven her given there was no cliffhanger and my heart can’t take any more of those this month. The ending, while slightly stressful, had me on edge, but wrapped up well. I do believe there will be additional books to this series and look forward to continuing Sophie’s journey upon the release of a second book.

If you are looking for a supernatural slowburn with vampires and witches this might be for you!

This book is about Sophie Devereaux who starts a quest to find an enchanted amulet that holds the power to eradicate the supernatural forces that hold the human worl in their captive. She has to face danger, make sacrifices and decide on the fate of all supernatural beings..

I was hooked to this book from the beginning! It gave me twilight vibes but in an amazing action filled setting with twists and turns. Some of the plot was quite predictable but not all of them so it didn't bother me! The slow burn and banter was good and it had me hooked. I did wish that the ending would have been a bit slower since i felt like it was a bit rushed...
All in all this was a fun and quick read and i would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for some supernatural action with a slowburn romance!

Arc provided by netgalley

I loved this book. The romance in this was so good, but the plot was also really good. It started to get really action packed at the 60% mark but over all I think it definitely a great read. If you are a Sarah j Maas fan you need to read this or If your like the serpent and the wings of night.

Thank you NetGalley & V.I Davis for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a supernatural slow burn. To say i was hooked would be an understatement. It did run a little predictable, but it redeemed itself by not ending on a cliff hanger. The passion between Henry and Sophie was undeniable and will have you cheering for them to be together.

I could not put this book down, it was a quick and easy read that I enjoyed. I was glad it didn't end on a cliffhanger, but a bit of this story was predictable. Which isn't always a bad thing when you need a break from ridiculously complex novels or just life in general - this felt like the perfect kind of book to curl up with at the end of a long day and just turn your brain off and dive in. Which is exactly what I did. The slow burn between Sophie and Henry was fire. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I recommend.

Thank you NetGalley & V.I Davis for the Arc!

I was hooked from the beginning with this book! It was right up my alley with it being about vampires, witches, and humans. At times it was a little predictable but there were still a few unexpected twists. The slow burn between Henry and Sophie was so good but felt like it got ruined by the end being rushed. I felt like it could have lasted a few more chapters but that’s just me 🤷‍♀️ overall i really enjoyed this book & would recommend to others who love a supernatural action book w/ a lil spice

Loved this book so much. I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good. It's THAT good! I gave it 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This was an easy read that I finished in one sitting. I enjoyed the development of the relationship between the two main characters. The ending felt a smidge neat and I think could have been fleshed out a little more but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I received this book as an ARC. I think that it is a very interesting premise that leaned a little too far into predictable.

I found the main character’s actions to be so rash! Why search the house on literal day 1 when you are going to be there for another 364? However, her heart was in the right place and that is admirable.

I found the ending to be too perfect and wished that there had been a little drama before it all wrapped up. But it was a fun and easy read.

This had quite a slow start but after a while the plot picked up and I got into the adventure. I'm so glad vampires are making a comeback in the literary world!