Unfortunately this was a book i just couldn’t get into at this point in time, probably more of a case of it being a me problem not a problem with the book. Being a big fan of Supernatural i found it hard to not compare.
I will hopefully come back to this and try to read it again at a later date and edit my review.
I think a lot of people will like this title, maybe more so if they don’t have a connection to the Supernatural show. I think it’ll definitely appeal to Paranormal/fantasy lovers.
Thank you for providing me a copy!

This book is so incredible! I read it and immediately started reading it again. I have not stopped telling other people to read it (and they have all loved it too). This story is a gorgeous, character driven mlm urban fantasy romace. Magen Cubed immerses her readers immediately in the tension--and mutual pining--of her main characters. Dorian was one of the best written characters with anxiety I have ever read and Cash's quiet, kind soul radiated off the page. I could not put the book down, I was so desperate to see what happens next. I cannot wait for the sequel!

This was a good story with good characters, but I didn't love all the writing choices.

Dorian was an anxiety-filled, tattoo-covered, heeled boots and crop top-wearing vampire who didn’t have the best childhood and, because of that, struggled with relationships and trusting people to stick around. Cash was a karaoke-loving, monster-hunting human who wanted to settle down in a real, meaningful relationship. They felt believable, and I can see them becoming more developed over the course of the series.

There was anxiety rep, since Dorian has anxiety and panic attacks and an emotional support dog. There was POC rep, since Cash is Hispanic/Latinx (I don’t think a country was specified). I also saw on the author’s Twitter, after reading the book, that Cash is gay and Dorian is pansexual and non-binary (he/him). I’m pretty sure Dorian being non-binary was never mentioned in the book though (since other reviewers don’t seem to realize either), which is a little frustrating only because it would’ve been nice for it to be on-page representation, but maybe there’s a reason it wasn’t.

There was some romance, but there was also a plot about these two, partners in hunting bad supernaturals, tracking down some murderous weredeer.

The vampires weren’t explained super well, but I understood enough to get by. There’s clearly a whole vampire and supernatural culture in this world that seems interesting.

My biggest problem with this book was that the head-hopping or omniscience (whichever it was) kept me at a distance, unable to sink into any character’s mind, pulling me out of the story every time I had to figure out whose head I was in. The author also used “the vampire,” “the human,” and “the hunter” a lot instead of pronouns or names, which felt awkward and made me feel even more distanced.

I love mutual pining and because it usually has lots of tension and emotion, and this was such a great pining situation with so much potential (what with them having a bit of history even), but I never really felt much here, and I think it was also because of the POV keeping me distanced.

Another issue was that there were kind of two timelines, but it was hard to figure out sometimes whether we were in the past or the present, at least until part way through it, which was confusing. (I had an advance copy, so perhaps the author will add something to indicate this before publishing.)

I do think it was a good story with good characters and a great mutual pining romance situation. I considered rating it 3.5 stars for those reasons. But the writing choices made it hard for me to really get into the story. I did somewhat enjoy it though, and maybe the writing will work better for other readers. I might give the next book a try to see if I can get into the story more as it gets more developed.

"Leather and Lace" has many things that can be considered enjoyable, especially in queer literature such as an actual plot that's important alongside the romance and queer folks having actual personality traits that aren't "being gay". I've grown to become particularly attached to Dorian, anxious vampire protagonist; I read somewhere about him being nonbinary (and pansexual) and I'd like to see that more explicitly further in the series as a nonbinary person with anxiety, and there isn't much pansexual representation, so it'd be great to see him announcing his sexuality explicitly.

I'm not exactly a fan of reading action, as I'm more of a lovey-dovey kind of person, but I was actually invested in the plot and reading it wasn't boring or overwhelming as plot-driven scenes were interspersed with emotional bits and and character's thoughts. The excessive use of descriptive words such as 'the vampire' and 'the hunter' instead of their names and pronouns did bother me a little, but it's fair that writing scenes between people who use the same sets of pronouns can be difficult (though, in this specific case, that could've been used as an opportunity to introduce another set of pronouns for Dorian; of course, not all nonbinary people use more than one set of pronouns, but it would've been heartwarming to not see someone use more than one.)

Something that actually felt great during my experience of reading this book was how real the characters felt to me: neither of them did the right things all the time and they aren't portrayed as irredeemable because of their mistakes. I also enjoyed the way many characteristics, emotions etc. were depicted by Cubed such as the dichotomy embraced by Dorian, who's described as both monstrous and graceful. The author was also skilled with the portrayal of the villains, who are complex and multifaceted while also not likeable.

A little warning before you read it, though, is that it does have a lot of sexual mentions, though I didn't find them excessive, and it has a lot of gore, graphic imagery of violence. It is, without a doubt, an adult book, and it should be read with that in mind.

What a different spin on vampires! I think that was my favorite part of Leather and Lace. I also liked the relationship between Cash and Dorian – even though they took a while to figure out that they were both on the same page.

Honestly, the only issue I had at all with Leather and Lace was the back and forth in the story telling. I’m actually a fan of multiple POVs and I usually don’t have a problem with getting characters’ back stories through flashbacks. In this case though, the combination was a little much. Not enough for me to not enjoy the story, but just enough to make me notice it and be just a little distracting. Other than that minor detail, I liked getting to know Cash and Dorian and I found myself rooting for them to find their HEA even with everything stacked against them.

Since this is the beginning of a series, I’m looking forward to getting to know Cash and Dorian even better, as well as some of the supporting characters. 😉

Leather and Lace by Magen Cubed

This was a light cozy. It talked about vampires, humans, and shape shifters. Bad people turned into deers and killed humans for their blood and organs. Romance between a vampire and a regular human was difficult. There’s wasn’t much depth to this story.

Thank you Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Well this was better then I thought it'd be. I love the idea of the world built by the author, it was very believable and entertaining. I love the budding relationship between Dorian and cash. they actually make a sweet couple. The mystery is interesting and helps the relationship to grow. there were a few funny parts and a few emotional parts. I love the ending in the karaoke bar. What a way to end it lol.

Supernatural vibes if the monster hunters were also monsters and gay.
It was an interesting fun read, but the times skips often got confusing and there were several times where I found the characters very annoying to read.

Gay representation
CW: child neglect, sex work, panic attacks, anxiety, murder, gore, nsfw content

This story follows Dorian, a vampire, and his best friend Cash, a cowboy, as they hunt monsters. When they’re sent on a new case, they have to juggle finding a murder and the growing tensions between them.

I first heard about this story after the ending to a popular tv show. I read Magen talk about how her characters were inspired by two of the main characters. The promise of an actual love story was the hook that caught me.

I love the chemistry between Dorian and Cash. From the very start there was something brewing. The two couldn’t be anymore polar opposite but they just mesh so well together.
Cash isn’t your typical Texas cowboy. He has an unhealthy amount of love for Stevie Nick and Dorian. Dorian is the character you want to protect despite the fact that he’s a creature of the night.

The only thing that frustrated me about this story was the constant misunderstanding and refusal to just emote. Though that had more to do with me wanting them to just get together already than with the writing or story. Emotionally constipated boys are the worst, in the best way.

I will say that I loved the use of having the murderer be a creature that one would not normally associate to being bad. I can’t wait to see what else comes in this brand new series. Magen has such a wild and amazing series to come. If you want gay monster hunters who don’t know how to emote properly then you have come to the right place.

I was given this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Dorian and Cash are best friends, roommates, and coworkers. Despite their significant differences - Dorian is a vampire and Cash is a human who hunts monsters - they've grown to care about each and they make a good team, hunting down killer monsters at the behest of the Devereux Police Department. However, their easy camaraderie is upset when their friendship veers from platonic to romantic. Add to the mix a serial killer with a taste for human flesh, and Dorian and Cash's careful balancing act is thrown for a loop as both men struggle to decide if they should make a move and risk their current status quo or remain in the friend zone.

Leather and Lace presents two compelling main characters and fleshes out their relationship through well timed narrative flashbacks. Dorian and Cash are polar opposites, with Dorian coming from a past filled with betrayal and upheaval, and Cash from a nurturing family of female hunters. Dorian has flair and loves to wear makeup and crop tops, masking his deeper issues and severe anxiety. Cash maintains an easy going demeanor but is searching for someone who appreciates all of him, including his deep love of Stevie Nicks and karaoke.

At its heart, Leather and Lace is about the relationship between Cash and Dorian but it also has a gruesome serial killer plot and an intriguing urban fantasy world populated by humans and supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, and shifters of all types. This book will definitely appeal to fans of shows like Supernatural and urban fantasy book series like White Trash Warlock and the Mercy Thompson series.

So, I read these two back in Twisted Romance, and was super excited to hear they were getting a full length book. And man, did this deliver on the serotonin when I needed it. Cash and Dorian are fun characters to watch bounce off of each other and pine and be fuckups in the way that only semi oblivious men can be at times. The weredeer that form the backbone of the murder mystery are a nice twist on the paranormal were-animals, and there’s just enough world building to make the world solid but intriguing. My one point of criticism (some of the flashbacks aren’t the clearest in the version of the ARC that I got) turns out to have been addressed by Magen, and the version that comes out will have the flashback chapters more clearly labeled.

If you want the good serotonin, pick this up when it comes out; you’ll be in for a treat.

A fun romp that began as Supernatural (the tv show) fanfic and now has a life of its own, this novel features a slow burn romance between two hunters of the supernatural, one of whom happens to be a vampire himself. I enjoyed the very real emotional rollercoaster and difficult relationship choices the characters struggled with and the light banter they shared while tracking down a pair of weredeer gone bad. I’m not a big fan of Supernatural, but Cubed makes her story so original and cute that it should appeal to a wide range of fans, non-fans, and those who don’t even know the show.

Leather and Lace truly is something different altogether, I loved how far they strayed from the conventional vampire stories to carve a unique yet engaging story. It offered a fresh perspective on vampirism with a realism that I quite enjoyed. There were no sparkly shiny skin, superhuman abilities, or blood lust clichés but rather a story about a vampire and a human trying to navigate life together.

I appreciated reading about the other side of the coin- the vampire slums and the poverty of those less fortunate. To see the world through the eyes of Dorian, a vampire suffering from anxiety and abandonment issues created a vulnerability and insecurity not commonly associated with this species. How often do you read about a vampire with a chihuahua as an emotional support dog????

To round off this unconventional crime fighting duo, there was Cash-a human cowboy hunter with an unhealthy obsession with Don Henley and Karaoke.

Several components of this novel interested me; the human-vampire dynamic, gay romance vibe, the blood and gore of the crime scenes, the action of the fight scenes and my personal favorite- mocking Twilight at every opportunity.

One aspect that I wasn't too excited about, was the paranormal crime-fighting police unit of the "Monster Beat." At first read, they were portrayed as characters straight out of a bad television crime series, with the obvious clichés of bad coffee and overworked cops. Eventually, the unit grew on me, purely because of its integral role in the overall story and its potential for breakout novels.

I would recommend this novel for those interested in a monster-hunting rom-com featuring gay friends to lovers romance.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

A deeply fun read. Lively characters that felt real and complicated, a very well imagined world, and lots of action. Enjoyed every minute, could not put it down. Can't wait to see more of these characters and more from this author.

I didn't finish this book, sorry.
<b>DNF</b>
<i>Thanks to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

I had some expectations for this book because we are promised some banter between two characters that seem quite intriguing and one of them is a Vampire who owns (and adores) a chihuahua! So I was ready to love it. And we are said by the author (the introduction was a pleasure to read and it upped my expectations too) that this is inspired by Supernatural and it is an homage to it. I have to say that I am not the biggest fan of this show, but since my problem is that I really love the concept behind it but I find myself easily bored by the development of it. I just have to watch a couple of episodes and sbam, boredom everywhere! So yeah, I am not a fan, but since the concept is solid I was hoping to like this one. But I was wrong.
I cannot say that this is a poorly done story, we have interesting worldbuilding full of fascinating, even if creepy, creatures and our MCs are not plain or boring, that's for sure. The problem for me is that this story to me was more a fandom than an homage.
And we have quite a lot of horror vibes, and again I am not a fan. Guess why? Exactly, boredom. I tried, I really tried, but horror has the annoying tendency to bore me to no end. And here the horror elements were quite a lot.
It is the atmosphere of it, the vibes. And so nope, this really wasn't for me. I was quite sad because I was hoping to love it, but in the end, I decided to just let it go and don't force myself through it.

This review is based on an ARC. With any luck (and a good editor) this will be a 4 star story on release. As is I debated giving it two stars because it has one VERY serious flow : an overabundance of epithets. Not only is Dorian "the vampire" in times it wasn't remotely relevant, but there are times it uses "the hunter" when both characters in the scene are hunters. Another time the only female character in a memory is the Abuela but she is still referred to as Abuela almost exclusively without use of she. The story itself is lovely. I love the characters and the world, but the epithets need to go!

3.5
The first thing you need to know about Leather and Lace is that it is Dean Winchester and Castiel fanfiction…or was at some early point in its life. I’m not assuming here; the author says so in the introduction. The fact that the characters’ names start with D and C is even a nod in that direction, she says. I mention this because I think it’s interesting, but also because I haven’t watched all of Supernatural (please don’t stone me). I have seen just about enough for Castiel to appear as a character, but not enough to understand Destiel as a ship yet. So, I’m a little behind the game coming into the book. But if I’d not been told about the love of Dean and Castiel prior to reading the book, I wouldn’t have known. It’s not something necessary to enjoy the story. I can attest to that.

Outside its Supernatural connection, I thought this was a super sweet, high angst book. Dorian and Cash are both wonderful characters that you want to care about and see get their happily ever after. I did think Dorian’s push-me-pull-me went on too long without explanation and, honestly, I didn’t wholly buy his hesitation in the end. But I could still appreciate it. Similarly, I didn’t think the investigation/monster hunt held enough significance to move the plot as needed. But I still enjoyed the book and will happily read more of Cubed’s writing.

I finished readeing Leather and Lace so quickly I'm distraught. It was so much fun but it was over so quick. Leather and Lace is a wild, grab you by the collar and pull you along into adventure kind of fun. Dorian and Cash were so great! The book focused more on their relationship and personal stuff rather than the monster hunting. The monster hunting and fighting and investigation was central to the story but I wished there was more of it to be honest. Or maybe I just want to the book to be longer. I highly recommend it if you are a supernatural fan and are into the whole monster of the week type stories.
The story had a lot of depth and heart and was filled with love and pain. You can tell how much the author loves her character and the world she has created. The writing was nice, it was easy to breeze through. The story was fun and exciting and addictive and made me feel things but on a technical, literary basis it felt lacking. I hate to be a snob but something about it felt underwhelming in a technical sense like into the way things were structured and how information was doled out. The story almost read like a very detailed screenplay for a movie or tv series with its omniscient pov. It felt awkward to read at times.
Then again, for what Leather and Lace is, for what it's meant to be I think it is wonderful and definitely worth the read. It's kind of like Supernatural mixed with a gay romance novel with complex characters and relationships.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I should preface this review by saying that this is a series which will revolve around the two main characters in this book. While it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, I'm sure their Lovestory will progress.
Overall I liked the story and the writing style was great. I do like a dual point of view and the glimpses into the progression of their professional and personal relationship were done really well.
The only thing I would critique is that the lovestory didn't feel central to the story and progressed rather slowly, especially considering how short the book is. I would have liked to see them together for a couple of chapters (though I guess that will happen in the next book) and I thought after Dorian was so hesitant about the relationship the "conflict" was resolved a little too quickly. On a side note I was also missing a bit of steam. There is only a short sex scene between the two protagonists and a longer one between (mild spoiler I guess? Though not exactly important to the story) between Cash and an ex. I would have preferred one between Dorian and Cash.
The crime story was also pretty great though if you don't like gory details, you may want to skip this one.

Well, this was an absolutely surprising read.
I requested it because the plot sounded amazing and I hadn't read anything about vampires and shapeshifters in a very long time. I was expecting to enjoy it but definitely not this much!
The premise of the book is simple: a vampire and a monster hunter team up to fight and eventually fall in love, but both of them are too dumb to realize that their feelings are reciprocated. Opposites attract, interspecies relationship and both mains acting like poor smitten idiots? My jam.

I absolutely adored Dorian, with my whole heart. He's definitely not your usual vampire and I cannot explain how much that delighted me: he's sharp-tongued and smart but also very insecure and vulnerable. I loved how well the author portrayed his anxiety (and I also loved Dominique).
Cash, on the other hand, was his complete opposite, confident and sunny and tough, but they managed to fit so well together. As I wrote earlier, they acted like a couple of idiots at times, a couple of idiots who desperately needed a crash course on improving their communication skills, but lovable idiots all the same.

The world-building, the various different shapeshifters and the interspecies relationships, the city's layout and the borders between the human world and the monster world were absolutely fascinating. I especially loved how the author described the vampire's domain, their politics and religion, their slums and physical attributes. I appreciated how "monstrous" they were: you definitely can't confuse them with humans and that was so refreshing to see.
The only fault I can find within this book is the fact that the chapters set in the past and the ones set in the future are sometimes hard to distinguish from one another. In addition to that, I found that the POV's switched between the various characters inside a single chapter and at times it was hard to follow who thought what. But all in all it was well-written and vivid to my mind's eye.

I'm very much looking forward to reading more about Dorian and Cash, my new favourite vampire goth and hunter/karaoke-king duo. "Leather and Lace" was surprising and refreshing and I loved it to bits.