Fangscreen (Holidays of Love)

PARANORMAL: Jareth Hale hates the tropical island he is stranded on but hates the locals even more. They are quite annoying, especially when they trespass on his property. Thank goodness, he has his friends to talk to via Facetime. No one is more surprised than he is when his attention is drawn to Laiken or Lake to his friends. He is so not his type. Lake is everyone’s friend, with a laid-back personality and the looks of an Olympian God. He has only one flaw—he could possibly be a vampire hunter. Is it possible that Laiken is actually interested in Jareth despite his being a vampire? Jareth desperately tries not to get his hopes up, but it turns out his heart is already stolen.

Everyone will need some sunscreen with this delightfully steamy rom-com. Is it a rom-com, though? Many would say yes, but it also has deep veins of seriousness throughout. The book does discuss in detail the danger of toxic relationships. But the moments of misunderstandings and Jareth’s lack of sense of humor will bring a smile to anyone’s face. However, this could have been a novella. The pacing is very slow and filled with many unnecessary scenes. The dialogue is also pretty cringy and quite honestly, immature. There is more than one moment that will cause the reader second-hand embarrassment. Despite that, the opposites-attract trope is really well done, and the characters have wonderful chemistry. Readers who love steamy rom-coms will want to add this book to their summer reading list asap!

Amanda Hupe