The Dangerous Ones is a standalone alternate fantasy - one in which the Civil War is fought with the help of vampires and demi-gods (called "Saints"). Jerusalem is a saint who escaped slavery about a year ago and is now seeking vengeance on her former master's wife, who just happens to be a vampire. Jerusalem hates all vampires since they killed her entire family. However one vampire has been working with the saints the whole year Jerusalem has been free and although she says she doesn't trust him, she also knows he's different from the other vampires that once held her in captivity. Alexei is a vampire fighting on the union side and is drawn to Jerusalem unlike anything he's ever experienced. They soon realize that they have a mutual enemy and work together to try to bring her down.

There were parts of this I liked - I thought the beginning was really engaging and had me invested in the characters and where the story was going. I liked Jerusalem's strength and that Alexei never considered her weak or incapable due to her being a female.

Unfortunately, after a while I realized that I really didn't care about what was going on in the plot. The relationship came out of nowhere for me (or at least in terms of Jerusalem, we had spent enough time in Alexei's head to know he loved her even though I'm not sure it was shown much to us). I think what wrenched me out of the story in particular was that, though the book is set in the Civil War era, the language is incredibly modern - so it never really felt grounded into the time period for me. And for a book set in the Civil War there was...honestly not that much to do with the Civil War itself? The ending was also a little all over the place for me.

I liked the narration by Angel Pean. I didn't love Jay Ben Markson's choices for narration, particularly his voice for Jerusalem when we were in Alexei's POV. I am glad it was dual narration though, as I do feel like it added to the story.

Read this for:
- Alternate fantasy (Civil War)
- BIPOC Character
- Vampires and other creatures
- Strong FMC

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily,

This really missed the mark for me. Honestly, my biggest issue with this story was the language. I found that a lot of the AAVE was often not antebellum accurate, which really drew me out of the story a good amount. It also made it really hard to ascertain what the setting actually was, and for a bit I forgot that it was literally taking place during the Civil War. I wasn't a huge fan of the characters, and I found that the world-building fell pretty flat because of the writing and characters--this whole story just wasn't for me.
Also, and please excuse me if I don't articulate this well, but I am a black woman in an interracial relationship right now and I found the relationship in this story to just be a little...weird. For lack of a better descriptor, at times I found this to be a bit fetishizing.

Overall, I can see why people would like this--if you're looking for a pretty accessible historical romance you'd probably enjoy this a decent amount.

I enjoyed a fantasy twist to this civil war historical fiction. It also has a great enemy's to lovers story about to characters are literally made to be enemies. A white male vampire and the tiny African American female Saint (which are human with special abilities, meant to be vampire predators). We witness Jeruselum's escape from salvery, dealing with the loss of most of her family, strugglers with falling in love with the very thing she is meant to destroy and much more.

The Dangerous Ones delves into the an alternative world set during the Civil War but is supernatural, with superhumans and vampires. I loved the premise and the relationship between Jerusalem and Alexei is quick-witted and captivating. This story tackles some hard issues like racism, sexism and slavery and the alternative take was at once new and familiar. While I enjoyed the story overall, there were some parts that fell flat or did not come together completely.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Going to listen to the audiobook on this to finish it, but what I've read so far I've really enjoyed

This book had so much potential. The synopsis sounds amazing and it has a lot of tropes that I love. Also, this would've been the second vampire book I've ever read so I was excited for that because it's always interesting to see how each author portrays paranormal beings.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I could tell within the first chapter but I continued a bit to see if I would like it anymore. And I didn't. I really didn't like Jerusalem at all. And I didn't like the way she spoke. I understand that she is Black and from the south in 1863 so they have different verbiage but it wasn't consistent. Her dialogue had her southern accent and then her inner monologue had completely normal speaking. The inconsistency made it hard to read and honestly, just super annoying.

Alexei was better but the writing was so cringey with him that I didn't even want to read in his POV either. He would say super weird sentences and say something out loud in English and then be like "I said to him in Spanish" but it was English. I know the author was probably just trying to help us understand what he said but I think Blackwood could've actually written some things in the other languages to make the book a little bit more interesting.

Also, this is set in 1863 and there was so much modern dialogue in it. If you're going to write a historical book, then you should do research into how they spoke back then.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book. Sure, the plot sounds interesting and the book could get better the longer you read it, but I don't think it's worth it.

Loved the premise. I enjoyed the banter between the characters. Would have liked a little bit more world building, for example I needed more about the saints. Some moments and dialogue seemed repetitive but I guess that works for the intended age group. I would recommend it.

Wow, I was excited to read this book and hoped it would be as good as the blurb promised, but I was not expecting it to be this good and addictive! I got sucked in from the very first chapter and just couldn’t stop
I had no doubt in my mind that I would love this book!
The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood was a masterpiece!
This fantasy novel sucked me and held me captive.
This is such a fun fantasy romance read! The world building here is done very well, totally easy to follow and has you captured from the beginning.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

"A romantic historical fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood, set in the American Civil War with vampires and people with demigod-like abilities."

I'm so sorry, but this was not for me. The author said in her note at the end that she needed to write another "Black Pain" story, and I'm glad she was able to do that, But the writing was just so poor that I struggled to feel her pain with her.

There's too much going on and the pacing of the novel is so choppy. You go back and forth in time with two MC POVs, but it's not logical as to WHEN you have information handed to you as a reader. It felt like she needed this to be novel length, and so she kept throwing in flashbacks to up the word count; I didn't actually gain anything from most of them. There are vampires, the Civil War, humans with superhuman abilities that are never explained, and a random nod to werewolves and sasquatches at some point?? The world building was so weak and not well-examined.

The characterization is rough and the romance feels forced; Jerusalem says countless times that she can't reconcile Alexei's whiteness and vampireness with a deep emotional attachment, but then she suddenly loves him. She can't stand the idea of a friend being turned into a vampire to save them in one chapter, but two days later, she's fine with it for someone else. I don't think Jerusalem got the development she deserved in this all-tell, no-show book. And don't get me started on Alexei. He's 300 years old, not 18. I don't buy the "you were turned at 18, so you're stuck there" narrative.

Bummer review, sorry :(

Language: R (170+ swears, 0+ “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG13+
I was really enjoying the civil war with vampires premise until the sex scene two-thirds of the way through the book.
The mature content rating is for mentions of drugs and alcohol, innuendo, nudity, and manual sex. The violence rating is for blood and gore, gun use, implied sexual assault, physical and emotional abuse, mentions of suicide, assault, and battle scenes.

A historical supernatural romantsy taking place in the urging the Civil War. We got vampires and humans with special abilities called Spirits.

Long story short this book was not for me. I had to restart it about 3 times and each time I got to 30% and after the third time I decided to call it quits. The plot and the characters fell flat for me. I’m not 100% sure how they spoke in the 1800s but I know it was not the way these characters spoke.

Also “dangnabit” was 100% not used in the 1800s as it was said in the 1900s by a cartoon character ( I researched it ).

The story itself felt very slow and then the time jumps began and it felt like the story slowed down even more,

This one was just not for me

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The premise of this story is so good - what would the Civil War have been like if vampires, werewolves, and humans with supernatural abilities were involved? I'm always excited to see historical fantasy and a romantic subplot doesn't hurt. I was pumped to dive in.

The Dangerous Ones is a romantasy set in the historical setting of America's Civil War. There's vampires and saints who have the power to kill them. But are all vampires bad?

Jerusalem and her whole family were enslaved by the vampires. They are brutal, and it's her mission to take revenge. She fights for the North States. To do this, though, she has to train with a vampire, Alexei. Alexei has a history, too, and Jerusalem hates vampires. How does their story progress?

I appreciated the cw and tw that the author included on the first page. The plot and the premise are what attracted me to this book. However, unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. Personally, I think for me, the main character's dialogues didn't work. It was choppy, and keeping track of all the happenings was not easy at all. But again, every book is not for every reader, so these are all my opinions.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, @wednesdaybooks , and St. Martin's Press @stmartinspress, for this book.

The Dangerous Ones is a pseudo-historical novel set during the Civil War - but the Civil War didn't have vampires, werewolves, or Sasquatch. Nor did it have dedicated vampire killers, known as Saints. This novel, however, has them all.

Beyond the mythical creatures, this novel appears to be reasonably historically accurate, although there are anomalies here and there, such as the use of modern profanity, as well as references to high thread-count sheets and paper cuts. But these are minor annoyances in a novel that has characters and a setting - the Civil War, and all the mistreatment of human beings for all sorts of negative reasons - that needs to be presented widely, in contexts that people will understand, and the fantasy setting may make it more accessible to those who have difficulty with more factually-correct depictions. Recommended for teens and adults.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A compelling reinterpretation of traditional vampire lore set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. The narrative explores dark themes and depicts the cruel torments people can inflict upon each other. The central characters, Alexei and Jerusalem, share a deep bond forged through shared trials, providing an emotional depth to the story. The book stands as a testament to human endurance, the power of love, and the spirit that allows us to rise above our circumstances.

After her family is brutally murdered and she escapes slavery, Jerusalem is determined to exact revenge on her enslavers. This is a historical fantasy set during the American Civil War with Saints, who have supernatural abilities, and vampires.

I really enjoyed the plot and thought the weaving of Saints and vampires against the backdrop of civil war worked really well. There were other magical creatures and elements that also wove into the very real war scenario. The fast paced story keeps you turning the page to see how these characters work together, or against each other, as they all have their own goals in mind.

The characters are distinct from each other. You could really feel the anger that Jerusalem (rightfully so) had throughout the whole book. This anger, along with her need for justice, fuels her throughout the story. Alexei was a calming counterpart to Jerusalem with his own trauma that moves him forward. Jerusalem and Alexei, with Odessa and Gael, make up an unstoppable foursome fighting with the Union Army.

While I loved the plot of this book and was highly entertained by it, there were a few things that kept taking me out of the story. The characters, while distinct, felt inconsistent in places. They would think one thing but their actions would reflect another. I totally get that as people we are flawed and we do this, but it was often enough to have me doubling back to other scenes regularly. Also, the use of some more modern day language and slang was interspersed throughout. While, obviously vampires were not part of the Civil War, some of the vocabulary felt out o place when writing about a very specific span of time.

This was intense. Jerusalem finally escaped her master and found the Saints, a group of people who seem to be designed to hunt vampires. She believes she has nothing left, and learns to fight to make a difference in this war.

Alexei is a 300 year old vampire who has fought hard not to lose his humanity. His choices aren't as apparent as people think, and he's been working with the Saints. He is training Jerusalem himself, teaching her how to use her deadly passion with a spear.

As they work together towards a common goal, they realize they've been betrayed by someone close, and work together to try and save who they can. Alexei has loved her from the moment he met her. But will she ever love him back?

There was a lot of heavy material in this. Civil war era, plantations, and fighting to free people from their owners. Finding hope in those who didn't fit he mold, and fought for what was right.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an electronic advanced readers copy of this book.

Jess is an escaped slave during the time of the Civil War. She has discovered that her longer than normal endurance and strength have made her a Saint, a name the press has given to people with those abilities. Jess has joined up with the Union Army with other Saints to fight the enemy. Putting a wrinkle on everything in this altered historical reality is that there are Vampires living among us who are trying to take over society.

Distrustful of vampires, who have killed most of her family and have ruled her life, she is determined to seek revenge on them and free the slaves. Embedded with Alexei, a vampire who wants to help, she is equal parts distrustful and drawn to him.

The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood is an interesting fantasy re-telling of the Civil War. It was a tough time made even tougher by the addition of vampires. I'm not really into the vampire genre, but this was fun.

DNF @ 25% - I was auto approved for this one and I really wanted to get into a new style of genre as this one blended historical fiction with paranormal romance and fantasy effortlessly!!! I genuinely applaud the author for so much research going into this one. however, the style was not for me - I felt very disjointed and outside looking in for the story and the characters. I couldn’t find anything to relate to or care about when it came to the MCs and I mostly just kept skipping chapters to find more action and plot heavy points. I definitely would give this a try if you’re curious about it!

I wasn’t fond of the characters, especially Alexei. I think the world-building was lacking. I also thought it didn’t make since, in the beginning, when Alexei was stating he knew a lot of languages because he was an Ancient, but couldn’t read English?