Title: Vacationing with the Vampire in Hallow’s Cove
Author: Lyonne Riley
Series: Hallow’s Cove #1
Pages: 218
When Maisie is forced to take a vacation after potentially making a huge mistake on the game she is helping to develop, she finds herself in the small monster town of Hallow’s Cove. Her landlord is a grumpy bookstore owning vampire but she quickly finds herself enjoying their time together. But Barnaby has a secret that might push them apart.
This book was just what I needed right now. It was a sweet and low angst monster romance with a 200+ year old vampire who just wants to read his books and be left alone but he also can’t stop thinking about his human tenant. I was instantly sucked into Maisie and Barnaby’s story and their romance was adorable.
Barnaby is an old vampire who is a bit set in his ways. He doesn’t drink human blood and spends his evenings reading books. Barnaby really comes alive once he meets Maisie. She gets him out of his routine and pushes him to face his past. I really enjoyed seeing Barnaby’s progression from grumpy vampire to loving and protective monster.
Maisie was a great heroine who goes after what she wants, and that is Barnaby. While Barnaby tries to put some barriers between them for fear of his monster side, Maisie doesn’t allow it and pushes him to admit his feelings. Maisie also was so accepting of everything Barnaby had been through during his turning and the reveal of his true vampire side. I really loved how accepting and comforting she was, especially since she already knew him and knew he wouldn’t hurt her. I get a bit annoyed sometimes when the heroine freaks out after the big monster reveal when they know the real person underneath.
The romance between these two was both slow and fast paced, if that makes sense. They get to know each other over the first week or so and then it quickly moves onto more once they admit their feelings. I enjoyed the pacing of the relationship and it made sense with the time frame of her vacation. Also it was just great to have a monster romance with little angst over the monster reveal and no outside forces really causing problems.
Overall, this was a fantastic vampire romance with a unique take on vampires. I really enjoyed this story and will be looking into reading more books by this author now.
TW: discussions of death and murder
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Red-Haired Ash Reads 