I had no idea what to expect as Lauren Blackwood is a new author for me, but I really enjoyed this book...so much. It's a different take on vampires and vampire slayers - and has the trope of the good vampire who falls in love with the slayer. Also they're an interracial couple during the time of the civil war - no small feat there.

So in a nutshell, Jerusalem is a Saint - someone who was born gifted with extraordinary strength and the ability to kill enemies, such as rogue vampires, though she doesn't realize this talent until she escapes from slavery and a vampire master. So suffice to say, she really hates vampires, after they kill her family.

But when she joins the Union army, she is paired up with none other than Alexei, an ancient vampire who is on the Union's side. It takes a long time for Jerusalem to trust Alexei and even longer to realize she loves him. Because A) he's a vampire, B) he's white, C) he's a vampire.

But Alexei is set on proving he's on her side for keeps and man do you work for the HEA. But it eventually comes. Low on spice, high on romance and adventure. It was a page-turner for me.

Advanced reader review: 2.5/5 rounded up

This just wasn't the book for me. I read the author's note at the end where she said she just wanted to write every trope she could think of...and that really sums up why it's not the book for me. It took me forever to finish because I kept waiting to get hooked on the story, but I just couldn't.

THE DANGEROUS ONES by Lauren Blackwood reimagines the American Civil War by adding vampires and vampire hunters to the mix. Her story revolves around Jerusalem, a former enslaved person who escaped her vampire enslaver and found her calling fighting with the Yankees against the South and their vampire allies. Jerusalem fights alongside one of the few vampires who don’t side with the South. The rest of the story follows pretty much as you can guess. In fact, there are no major surprises here. The story is formulaic and filled with tropes. Jerusalem and Alexei are great together. Their chemistry is perfection, and Ms. Blackwood takes care to highlight their friendship before moving on to other aspects of their relationship. Individually, both are engaging characters, flawed and better for those flaws. Together, they make sparks fly.

That being said, THE DANGEROUS ONES is cute but ultimately forgettable. It is the type of book you enjoy reading but put aside once finished and never think of it again. In fact, I had to read the synopsis before I could recall what the book was about before writing this review. It is a fun book in that vampires in the Civil War is a premise I always love. Ms. Blackwood keeps the gravitas and pain that is necessary and deserved when Jerusalem thinks about her time as an enslaved person; you can tell she aches for all of the enslaved and takes the pain of generations upon her shoulders. But, there is nothing that makes the story stick in my mind, and that is okay. Not every book can be profound or life-altering in some way. Everyone will come across a read-and-forget book at least once in their life. THE DANGEROUS ONES is the latter for me.

What a fun, alternative history story! I love urban fantasy so much (actually my favorite genre) but I struggled a little bit with the timeline of the novel versus the dialogue,

The book cover is what got my attention and I like the title. The beginning was really good and had a potential but it got really boring towards after that. The characters were really interesting and a bit likeable.

Thank you netgalley for the arc !!

I really really really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately I struggled to get through the book from start to finish. I switched to the audiobook which eventually helped me wrap the story, but I do not foresee continuing the series.

It had such a strong opening, and the FMC, Jerusalem, exhibits the strong and spirited heroine characteristics that I love in fantasy books. However, I felt a disconnect between Jerusalem’s modern dialogue despite the 1860’s setting, and was strongly turned off by her verbal and physical abuse of her love interest, Alexi, which ultimately overshadowed the other positive things the writing and plot included.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this arc, and wish I had connected to the story on a deeper level.

If you're looking for an emotional romantasy with a black female main character... look no further! This was gut-wrenching at times. Full of both love and pain, you follow our girl on her journey for freedom amongst the Civil War and vampires. Fight for life, truth, love, and above all, freedom. For herself and for those who didn't feel they could fight themselves.
I will never presume to know what anyone goes through... but this is one of those books that solidifies my want to go and just fight for what's right.

This was ……….. alright. The writing was good and the storyline was great but the delivery was a bit flat. Also I went in thinking that this is about black vampires in the civil war time period so that was my fault for not properly reading the synopsis. I mean it was cool, just not my vibe.

In "The Dangerous Ones," Lauren Blackwood crafts a gripping tale of vengeance and unlikely alliances set against the backdrop of the Civil War. Jerusalem, a fearless Saint with a thirst for revenge, finds herself teaming up with the enigmatic Alexei, an Ancient Vampire, in a quest to change the course of history. With its compelling characters, thought-provoking themes, and relentless pace, this novel is a must-read for fans of fantasy and historical fiction alike. Highly recommended.

If you’re looking for a really in depth book this is not it, but if you want a sweetish love story with vampires this was fun, was everything accurate to the civil war times no not really, but I did enjoy this book it was a fun read, it was heavy on slavery and dark pasts and death. Alexi is my love and he deserves the world.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Great story, enjoyed how different this book was, the world building is very well done, the characters are full of personality and interesting. Will be recommending

There's nothing I love more than a historical book and vampires, so of course I would love this! It's beautifully written and the story was very intriguing. what would the Civil War have been like if vampires, werewolves, and humans with supernatural abilities were involved? Uhm, yes please! My only concern was the modern language that was used, it felt off and didn't flow with the story, however, it's still a wonderful book and the story kept me interested!

The Dangerous Ones-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.

What is not to love about a story that has vampires, demi-gods and is historical romance/fantasy! I really wanted to love this book whole heartedly but the use of so much juvenile phrasing/lingo held me back from giving it a higher rating. Too much use of words like "dumbass" and other juvenile name calling between the main characters. I had a hard time finishing this book, after stepping out of my comfort zone and reading a historical fiction. I typically read modern or future books. If you like historical fiction and ya literature, I say give it a go.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: May 14, 2024

I think some of my students would love this. A great book for historical fantasy but also young adult as well. Thank you for the opportunity to read this work.

THE DANGEROUS ONES is a well written, voice-y, and unique blend of TWILIGHT meets BLOODMARKED. It's a dual-POV YA historical romantasy, following a vampire and divinely-gifted vampire hunter who has recently escaped slavery, as they work together for the Union army.

The speculative bend on the American Civil War was so enjoyable and interesting. I especially loved the addition of paranormal creatures helping with the Underground Railroad.

Trigger warning for intimate partner violence. While our MMC and vampire, Alexei, is devoted to the FMC, Jerusalem, from the beginning, Jerusalem struggles to put aside her preconceived notions about vampires. Jerusalem's struggle makes sense with her lived experience, but her continuous physical abuse toward Alexei veered too dark for me personally. For example, once romantic interest is confessed on both sides, Jerusalem takes out her inner conflict on Alexei, punching him in the face between kisses. Alexei takes the face punch in stride and they continue making out, almost like nothing happened.

Fictional characters do not need to behave in morally perfect ways (certainly no one does in real life), but the extremely one-sided intimate partner violence did not hit the enemies-to-lovers fantasy for me, and instead felt like undeserved retribution. Other readers may feel differently though.

I was really intrigued by the concept for this but unfortunately I couldn't get into the story. I appreciate the opportunity though!

Thank you netgalley Wednesday and MacMillan audio for the free e-Arc and alc. My opinions are my own. I really loved this.i am not a romantasy/fantasy gal but this hit all my buttons. This was my first book by the author and won't be my last I will be diving into her backlist asap!! Such a unique and creative book.

4.5/5☆

I hate giving negative reviews, especially for an author whose books I’ve previously loved, but something about this one was just very off for me. It just didn’t mesh well together. The worldbuilding, dialogue, and character relationships just weren’t seamlessly developed enough. The way the characters spoke, behaved and interacted just didn’t fit right with the setting and time-period. The romance had no build-up or development whatsoever. The time jump was jarring and I felt like I was lacking a huge amount of context for the characters and relationships. I had a hard time connecting the historical aspects with the fantastical and how it all was supposed to work together. I was looking forward to this book so much but, sadly, it was not great for me. In her last book, the thematic commentary felt natural, but this one felt like I was being force fed. The vampire aspects were briefly info-dumped. It lacked a lot of necessary depth. I ended up DNFing it around 20% because I felt confused and disconnected from everything.

The good: The Dangerous was so well written and was full of interesting characters and a plot that makes you want to keep reading. There's action, romance, and adventure and the story flows well and is easy to follow.

The bad: Honestly, I just wasn't super into it! I may have over hyped myself for this read, which left me a tad disappointed. Although the characters were great and the story was interesting, I wasn't immersed or invested. I simply liked the book- nothing more.

Overall: I'd still definitely recommend The Dangerous Ones to romantasy lovers; with caution that it's more of a historical romantasy. As well, for readers that love a good vampire story! Even though I wasn't into it, I definitely need to give it credit for being a well written story and note that there's an amazing story here worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read The Dangerous ones, in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this story honestly. I had never seen this perspective before. I can also understand why some may not like it.

Jerusalem was a slave who got away from her captors. The slave holders were vampires in America. When you break it down, I feel like that is an absolute true feeling that some may have had. Evil, soul less, MONSTERS as she called them. Alexei is a vampire we came to know who is on the side of the Union. He loves Jerusalem even if she is mean to him. HOWEVER I think he understands the trauma she has been through and what he represents even if he is nice.

Overall, I think the book is about loving someone for WHO they are instead of WHAT they are.

It is not a 5 star because I do have some criticism. If im not mistaken, the book was written for YA and the characters are 18 but I do think it is more of New Adult instead of Young Adult. There were some very tough subjects in there however they were certainly part of the course since it was in Civil War era and slavery. I also had a tough time with some of Jerusalem's language at times. It seemed more modern than her time period yet she still had her southern accent. That part only seemed half done.

I cannot comment on historical accuracy or anything like that as I am not familiar enough.