Member Reviews
thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for a review!
this was a very cute cozy fantasy. i thoroughly enjoyed winnie and alaric's story and them trying to navigate the complexities of their romance. the murder mystery part fell a little flat for me, and i found myself more interested in the romance. i also found this a little long, and some of the beats repetitive, but it was well written and fleshed out so i was still able to enjoy!
This book was perfection. The plot was engaging, the writing was so fun, and the chemistry between Winnie and Alaric was everything. It was a perfect twist on the paranormal romance genre, injecting a heavy dose of wit and charm into the typical vampire trope. The contrast between Winnie and Alaric’s personalities had me laughing and kicking my feet alone on my couch. Fangs for Nothing was the first book I have read by Steffanie Holmes, but it certainly won’t be my last.
𝓐𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓬: “Our love came unannounced in the night, knocking down walls and lighting candles in the gloom.”
𝓦𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓮: “Oh balls, I am living in a smutty romance novel.”
𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈
☽ Taboo (if you’re a vampire)
☽ fake dating
☽ grumpy x sunshine
☽ murder mystery
☽ mental health rep
Thank you so much to Steffanie Holmes, Bacchanalia House and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this, it was funny and ridiculous and an entertaining read. It was SO long though. Too long. And I feel like it relied a lot on the first series (I didn’t know this was a spin off until I was like wait…why is it talking like we are meant to know these characters?) which was a bit of shame since I hadn’t heard of it.
While I did find a lot of this funny and knew it was kind of taking the piss out of the whole vampire thing, I did cringe A LOT at the whole “my wife” shit. God that gave me the ick. Not only was it way too quick but it was weird and it really made me root LESS for the romance between Winnie and Alaric instead of more. It was weird.
I don’t know if this book was meant to be Winnie’s book or just a really long introduction for a second series of the Nevermore Murder Club people.
I think I’d have liked this book a lot more if the whole “my wife” thing was eradicated and if it were considerably shorter and more plot focused. I’m mad that this book ended and the murder storyline wasn’t even resolved…all to set up the sequel…
Also…the forgiveness thing at the end made me roll my eyes AND ball my fists because ABSOLUTELY NOT.
I picked up this book with great enthusiasm, the premise sounded exactly what I like on my cozy romance/mysteries. Sadly, I simply didn’t connect with this book.
While I loved the environment of the story and liked Winnie, Alaric and Reginald, this book tried to do too much and end up being underwhelming. The author brought interesting topics to the table such as the hoarding as the mental issue that it is and the trauma that it causes to the people around the hoarder, the trauma of centuries that Vampires would experience, however, those traumas were neatly resolved in the last 15% of the book which creates an unsatisfactory resolution to the conflict.
On the other hand, the group of friend is supposed to be investigating a murder/mystery but almost none of that is explored and they by luck find a possible suspect. I understand that the author is trying to leave the mystery for the next instalment but honestly it’s just felt like a very rushed resolution for the romance aspect and a very unfulfilling situation for the mystery portion.
On positive points, I will say that it was great to see both Alaric and Winnies point of view as the story unfolded and the writing was easy to read and follow.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy. All opinions are my own.
Ok, so I am still in the spooky vibe and as soon as I read the beginning of the blurb I knew I needed to read this.
Alaric is a hot, handsome vampire who needs help cleaning his castle as his
Mother is coming to visit him. Winnie comes to work for him bringing her cute and bubbly personality and Alaric’s world literally crashes down around him.
Alaric is an ancient vampire who has lived as a recluse and actually understands very little about modern society. I liked that details of his life are gradually revealed during the story and the chemistry between the characters (although the spicy scenes were VERY spicy as well).
I felt that at some points there were so many characters that I became a bit confused as to who was who, but this didn’t take much away from my enjoyment. My criticism is that the book felt slightly too long but I’m still very much looking forward to book two.
Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for this ARC! I loved this book so very much because not only did it make me laugh, but I really fell for these characters and wanted to know what was happening with them throughout the entire book. I loved the tropes such as fake dating, book club, murder, and grumpy sunshine!! I love Alaric the vampire and I love Whinnie , their relationship was so sweet and spicy !! I love the plot, the character development, and the whole book was just easy to follow and kept me on the edge of my seat to find out what was happening. I would highly recommend this book and I will continue to read more from this author.!!!
As someone who has always loved vampires 🧛♀️, this book was such a fun read. This is a vampire romantic comedy. As someone who just recently started reading rom-coms, this is the one that will make me never stop. The amount of times I laugh out loud and my parents side eyes me was unfathomable. As someone who loves the fake dating trope I didn’t know I NEEDED a fake fiance 💍 book in my life. Alaric hides his identity of being a vampire to Winnifred. There’s mystery, TWISTS, romance, fantasy, and humor.. be warned this book ends on a cliff hanger!
Definitely recommend to all my vampire lovers.
Fangs for Nothing is a cozy paranormal romance with a grumpy vampire introvert and a heartbroken yet sunshiny human, who is a professional home declutterer. They’re gonna do business together. Wink.
TW: hoarding, PTSD, panic attacks, nightmares, conversations about war and murder
I enjoyed most parts of the romance plot and the spicy scenes were nicely done. Mental health struggles were well represented, and I ended up more emotionally invested than I expected to be in a vampire smut that was marketed as “light hearted”. Though I do appreciate a romance in which the participants need to evolve and grow to accommodate one another into their lives!
Holmes’ offbeat analogies and dialogue made me giggle many times throughout the book and my Kindle copy is filled with goofy highlights such as:
😱 “Don’t go in there!” I go in there.
💃 “So, did my birds-and-bloods talk help you do the horizontal greasy weasel tango?”
🐿️ She’s like a stained glass window that’s been smashed to pieces and put back together by a stoned squirrel.
The book was not without its flaws. It could have used more editing, and the length could be reduced by 25% or so. There was a generous amount of repetitive explanation, and I could have done without certain plot lines.
Miscommunication drama is not a flaw, per se - but there were some especially ridiculous misunderstandings in the back half of Winnie and Alaric’s story. I had to power through those to finish this book.
Despite these gripes I did enjoy much of the read. Compared to others I’ve read in the paranormal romance genre, Fangs for Nothing had a nice balance of fantasy, humor, mystery, and romance. Perfect escapism for this week from hell (written the week of the 2024 election - please hold me).
Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley and Bacchanalia House!
Wow! What a book! I loved everything but the cliffhanger at the end. The romance was sweet, and their banter made me giggle several times. It's everything you want in a good paranormal romance. Definitely recommend. I'll be waiting impatiently for book two.
I got this as an ARC, but these thoughts are my own.
I had such a FUN time reading this! I loved it so much I'm going out to buy myself a copy as soon as I can! I NEED to have this book physically. I love the characters and the setting. I loved the comedic timing and the book club characters! I need to reread it already!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
This was my first book jumping back in to fiction after not reading the genre for a few years. I have to say it was fantastic! It had the right mix of humor, fantasy, and steaminess which I like from a romance. I will definitely be checking out more of Steffanie Holmes books!
I would give it 4.5 stars, taking away .5 because as much as I loved the book club ladies, I feel like there were too many of them. I kept trying to remember who they all were which would take me out of the story for a second.
When I saw this book on NetGalley, I didn’t realise it was a spin-off to another series, (so if you too are new to the Author, like me, then you may benefit reading the related books first). Consequentially, I was not familiar with the Nevermore Murder Club - although they didn’t do much investigating anyway, so that plot thread was pretty irrelevant to unfamiliar readers. Likewise, there were plenty of characters and associated plot threads which weren’t essential to the story either! The main characters, Alaric and Winnie, are just ok - I prefer female characters with more backbone. Overall an Ok read, although I felt like a lot of could have been cut out to make the story more succinct. I am not engaged enough with the story to be bothered finding out whodunnit regarding the murders and moving on to book 2… but thanks NetGalley and Bacchanalia House for allowing me to get an early copy of the book - much appreciated.
I received an ARC provided by Bacchanalia House via Net Galley
I really enjoyed this book! I love fantasy books and the romcom and crime mystery tied in was a great addition to the story line. Winnie/Alaric will they won’t they was great and very entertaining.
The book was just a little bit too long in the middle but I enjoyed it overall.
I got approved for this book in October after I had the months posts scheduled, and this was a perfect read for the spooky season. We all know I’m a sucker (Ha pun intended) for vampire books but sprinkle it with a grumpy x sunshine plot, your girl is a goner.
The plot was complex, interesting and it never had a dull moment, I was hooked from the first chapter. Its impressive how Steffanie managed to combine all of the best book boyfriend tropes and micro tropes within this book.
The fake-dating trope in my opinion was done perfectly. Especially with the added layer of forbidden romance mixed with close proximity, with having to fake-it-till-you-make-it. This book actually made me laugh out loud at points. Winnie is gets some cracking one liners in this book and I even sniggered at Alaric's clever responses. Steffanie also addresses some sensitive topics, including mental health, coping with trauma, and the complexities of hoarding.
I can't wait for the second book in series to come out, but for now I am going to look at Steffanie’s other books.
Incredible! Fangs or Nothing was supposed to be a fun, lighthearted story, perfect for the spooky season, but it amazed me from beginning to end! When I started reading it, I never thought I’d feel so connected to Winnie and her situation. Excluding the smutty romance with the gorgeous vampire, her character was the best part of this book. It’s a romantic, funny novel with hot, hot, hot vampires and a wonderful cast of secondary characters (I won’t lie, I wish I had a coven of friends like that!). This book has made me NEED to keep reading Stephannie’s work—I’ve discovered a wonderful author.
Oh my gosh, what a fun and wonderful read! This book had all the romance, vampires, family drama, and HEA you could ever wish for and it also gave all the feels!
Alaric is a bit of a reclusive vampire. He doesn’t feed directly from humans and is sustained by his hobbies. Said hobbies, however, have proven to be a bit of a challenge when his vampire mother insists he host a ball in his overly cluttered estate. Winnie is a professional organizer and anti-clutter enthusiast. She’s created a system (which her partner has taken co-credit for with very little actual work) and she’s always eager to apply it to just about everything. When her boyfriend leaves her for her best friend, she may have begun to spiral into over organization land, which is why she jumps at the chance to get out of town and help someone de-clutter.
Alaric hides what he is and how he feels from Winnie for wayyyy too long, but it was adorable to watch. These two dance around each other, each hiding different things - Winnie her history growing up in a hoarder house, Alaric his killing past and vampiric state. The way things play out is ever so satisfying, even if we do get the standard couple chapters of misunderstanding/martyr activities. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the smutty coven that adopts Winnie. There is clearly another series about that, but this book served as a great introduction. I hope there are more books in this series!
This was such a cute book, I really liked Alaric and his growth. The author did a really good job with writing about mental illness, while still making us laugh.
So this guy came out of nowhere and started kissing her without consent and I am supposed to find that romantic???and she moaned in the middle of the fucking bar this is absurd and the writing was hideous I couldn't even read 50 Pages of it and I was like that's enough this was not for me and I really couldn't find one thing that I liked about this.
Thank You, NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Fangs For Nothing by Steffanie Holmes has a beautiful cover and is a cute little book full of love/Spicy behavior, Quirky book clubs, personal trauma, and solving murder. Although not a slow-burn romance by any means since their romance felt organic and didn't feel rushed. Winnie Preston felt like the Marie Kondo of this fictional world and Alaric has the Edward Cullen vibes I occasionally crawl back to. I loved everything from the mystery and cute little town to the spice. The storyline had some emotional weight to it but it didn't take away from the romance. Overall a really enjoyable book and I can't wait to read more from Steffanie in the future.
While Fangs for Nothing may not make my all-time favourites list, it’s definitely still a fun read! It brings quirky twist to the paranormal genre, blending humour and mystery with some supernatural romance. The characters are a mix of eccentric and endearing, and the setting adds just the right amount of eerie charm to keep you intrigued. If you’re looking for a lighthearted, escapist read with a playful vibe, this book does the trick.