[Review] The Vampire in the Bookstore by Elle M Drew
For more centuries than he cared to count, Declan had found more comfort among his books and his personal library than he ever did around others, whether they be human or supernatural. With eternity before him, he treasures knowledge, the pursuit of it, and the preservation. Nothing, and no one, could ever part him from such endeavors.
Until, among the stacks of a familiar bookstore, he encounters a human with a love of books that rivals his own, and an interest in perusing his personal collection...
But for Rosamund, meeting Declan is so much more than exploring his home library, as she knows his secret. His deepest one. The one she knows he treasures above all others. She knows that he... is her favorite author.
And in just one very loosely planned encounter... she needs him to reveal everything... For the pursuit of knowledge, of course. And perhaps something else.
My thoughts: The Vampire in the Bookstore should have been everything I could've ever wanted in a book: bibliophiles, vampires, insta-attraction, supernatural sexy times... yet sadly, this novella just fell flat for me.
I was intrigued by the plot. A book-repairing and book-loving archivist runs into a vampire in a bookstore, and he just happens to be her favorite author. He can't deny his attraction to her and the scent of ink on her skin. After throwing in the promise of his personal library, she can't say no when he offers to turn her so they can spend forever perusing books together.
I liked Declan as a character. He was passionate and selfless when it came to Rosamund. But I just couldn't make myself like Rosamund as a character. She tracked him down, kept secrets from him, and made some truly superficial (and repetitive) comments about gaining access to his libraries.
Declan was giving Rosamund everything, and she just came across a bit shallow.
This novella wasn't as graphic as the author's note made it seem. I've read mass market paranormal romance that featured more explicit scenes and went into more detail than what was included in this story.
The Vampire in the Bookstore had a lot of potential, but I just couldn't make myself love Rosamund. Between only liking one of the two main characters and feeling like the plot itself fell a little short, this was a solid three stars for me.
The Vampire in the Bookstore is available on KU.
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Release date: 3/24/23
Format: ebook
ebook obtained via: Kindle Unlimited
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