Fangs for Nothing

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Victory Editing in exchange for an honest review.

This book surprised me—in a good way! I loved the atmosphere of the world the author created. It is set in Argleton (in the UK), which, by the way, is a phantom village! Apparently, the village appeared on Google Maps but doesn't actually exist! Anyway, back to the book: I had no expectations going in, as this was my first time reading anything by this author. The cover initially caught my attention because, as you can see, it's really chic.

The story was highly entertaining and gave off a spooky, supernatural vibe—perfect for this season. I loved the world-building and how descriptive the author was; it truly immerses you. While the plot is familiar, with common tropes like fake dating/fake fiancé, love (or more like obsession) at first sight, forced proximity, and all that jazz, I'm a sucker for those (except insta-love), which is why I enjoyed it so much.

The story was well-paced, although the cleaning and organizing with the “Winnie Wins System” felt a bit much at times. As someone with OCD, though, I could relate. MariKondo all the way! Romance with a touch of mystery is my go-to, so I enjoyed the crime thriller aspect. Who is the killer? I still can't figure it out, lol.

The side characters—OMG, I love them! The Nevermore Murder Club & Smutty Book Coven (quite a mouthful) were amazing! I want to be friends with them! I really enjoyed the banter among these ladies.

And the spice...ooooh, I did not expect that! I thought this would just be a light, entertaining read, but oooohhh, I loved the spice! The spice is spicing! Even though the story leaned towards instalove, the build-up to Alaric's and Winnie's relationship was well done. The tension between them was intense, and when the spice kicked in, it buuuurned! It's not a dark romance, but rather sensual and passionate, and I loved every second of it.

Overall, the book was well-written and entertaining. It wasn't too heavy, but it does touch on themes like trauma, hoarding, torture, nightmares, and murder. Nonetheless, I'm eagerly waiting for the second book in this series and will definitely be checking out the Nevermore Bookshop Series because Mina and her three fictional husbands have me curious!