Wow! I loved this. Carolina is everything I love in a heroine: strong, independent, and fiercely protective. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, and I really appreciated how she was written. Lalo, on the other hand, is a vampire like no other—sensitive, soft, and burdened by the weight of his new immortality. His inner conflict made him such a compelling character to root for.

The chemistry between them is off-the-charts, especially with the fake engagement trope (which, is one of my favorites). What I loved most is how their relationship developed—not just as a couple, but as individuals. They challenged each other’s beliefs and grew together.

I was totally hooked by the balance of humor, yearning, and adventure. The world-building was vivid, and the themes of family and self-discovery really resonated. And let’s not forget the enemies-to-lovers arc! This book is a refreshing twist on vampire lore with a cozy yet thrilling vibe.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A personal DNF for me but still an enjoyable book so far! I think readers who suit the genre and those looking for something new will enjoy it.

I'm literally crying. OMFG
Release date: December 17, 2024
• Vampires
Mexican lore
Fake engagement
Enemies to lovers
Latina author
Forbidden romance
I just found a new favorite author! The romance was and Lalo??? I'm swooning. My new golden retriever vampire book boyfriend

In A Cruel Thirst we follow Lalo, a fledgling vampire who wants to avenge his parents deaths as he crosses paths with Carolina, a vampire huntress who desires to prove her skills to her father. Together they team up to find the original vampire and defeat him to put an end to Lalo and the Abundancia’s misery.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to the publishers for this copy <3

First off woah look at that cover ! OMGGGG
This was my first read from Angela , and I have to stay i immediately went and ordered her other books!

A vampire x hunter love story ( we love enemies to lovers over here ) ! This was everything I could have imagined !

The writing was so easy flowing , and the world building was so fun !

The banter was so fun I found myself giggling .
FMC is so freaking cool , she is strong , knows what she wants and doesn’t take anything from anyone , and will do anything to protect her family !
I loved her sense of community and you don’t see that a lot in other stories !

The world building in this was it for me because I love a good quest into the unknown ! The imagery was spot on for me because I was able to picture everything.
The culture aspect in this was my favorite.
This blew my expectations, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy !!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. A Cruel Thirst was SUCH a good read. I really loved the unique twist on a vampire/hunter arc, and read through it much faster than I thought I would. This was my first book by Angela Montoya and it certainly won't be my last! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

Ah! this book was definitely enjoyable! A truly original spin on the vampire/vampire hunter dynamic for sure!

So, the story follows an angsty, self-hating vampire who embarks on a quest to eradicate his own kind, only to unwittingly join forces with THE CAROLINA, a vampire hunter who initially aims to take him out.

Lalo and Lina hold a special place in my heart! This book was full of yearning and humor, offering a refreshing perspective on vampire lore that I’ve never read before. It was filled with adventure yet managed to feel incredibly cozy! I adored their banter! And loved how he was so charming and she was a fierce, no-nonsense female lead! Loved the strong family themes, the vivid imagery and an immersive atmosphere and the enemies to lovers and a fake engagement that felt refreshingly authentic!

.My only minor complaint is that the prose felt a bit choppy at the beginning, quickly getting smoother out as the story progressed but again was a bit disappointed to feel the book lost a bit of spark in the middle, however my overall experience while reading it was pretty incredible!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Last year, I read Sinner’s Isle, and ever since I've been eagerly awaiting Montoya’s newest book, A Cruel Thirst, even more so when I learned it was a vampire romance. It’s a fantastic read that sucked me in from the very first line and left its mark on me long after I finished it (puns intended).

In a world where vampiros are considered bloodthirsty monsters and are hunted mercilessly, Lalo is horrified when, instead of avenging his parents’ deaths, he is turned. Fleeing his home with his sister in tow, Lelo searches for a way to end the curse that has plagued him before he can do any more damage. Growing weaker because of his refusal to take human blood, Lelo meets Carolina, a hopeful vampire hunter from a family of vampire hunters.

Instead of a fierce MMC vampire and a FMC who is a damsel in distress, we have a bit of a reversal here. Lalo is unlike any vampire hero I’ve ever read, and I absolutely adored him. A man who still mourns the violent death of his parents and wants nothing more than to protect his beloved sister, Lelo has become what he abhors. Lelo struggles with his new immortality and all it encompasses. He’s soft and sensitive, and very different from the fiery woman he meets as he flees with his sister in search of an end to his vampirism.

Carolina is a fierce and bad-ass woman who knows what she wants, and it is not to become engaged to the man her father chooses. She’s determined to prove to her male-dominated family that she, too, can be a worthy vampire hunter. But when Carolina meets Lalo, everything changes. He is different from the other vampiros she’s encountered, and he challenges everything she ever knew about vampiros, her family, the past, and herself. And when he agrees to be her fake fiancée, their feelings become undeniable. They have so much chemistry, and I adored their banter and the way they slowly learned to trust each other.

Both Lalo and Carolina learn so much about each other and especially about themselves as they grow closer. I like how they both have their own epiphanies about life and love and what makes it all worth living. They begin to see that they are not so different. I love that Lelo opened Carolina’s eyes to the reality of vampires and shed some of her biases and prejudices, and I found it so satisfying that Lelo had to become what he hated the most to realize what he truly wanted in life and in himself. Their love story builds perfectly with the right amount of angst and longing, and some beautifully tender moments.

There are a bunch of stand out secondary characters too, especially Lalo’s sister, who is the sunshine to Lalo’s quieter, more broody personality. I loved Carolina’s cousin and her grandfather. Both hold such a special place in Carolina’s heart, and their staunch support of Carolina, when others tend to dismiss her, is lovely. I loved the exploration of different types of relationships, from romantic to familial to some wonderful friendships.

With an immersive and vivid setting, an interesting backstory, and dynamically layered characters and plots, this is a brilliant read. There’s a lot of depth and some amazing messages about family, love, generational expectations and trauma, and more.

This book was delightfully surprising! It began as a dark historic vampire revenge novel, and suddenly, it became a sweet romance complete with banter! The relationship between Carolina and Lalo is so good. The dynamic is hilarious and had me grinning through each interaction.

The story is strong, well developed, and clear. I enjoyed the richness of the lore regarding the gods and the afterlife. The setting was very interesting for me, definitely unique from my normal reads. I enjoyed the Spanish California details. It was very immersive and made me think of The Mask of Zorro in aesthetic (and banter!).

Honestly, it's just a really enjoyable story with rich characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well this was a fun book! I really loved that the mythology surrounding vampires in this book is based on Mexican lore, since that was unfamiliar to me and I loved reading about it.

This story is so fun and comical in light of the terror of vampires rampaging the main character’s Pueblo, and makes for such an engaging and thrilling ride. The main female lead is headstrong, brave, and intelligent, while the main male lead (a vampire by unfortunate situation) is clumsy, awkward, and not nearly as brave. Together they make for a hilarious and charming couple who work together to end vampires once and for all.

This was a quick and lovely read that had me laughing and crying and I highly recommend it! The ending was great and I think the author did an exceptional job fitting so many side characters into the book while making them all unique and relevant to the story. Well written and developed, I loved it!

Carolina Fuentes has always aspired to join her family in hunting the bloodthirsty monsters that plague her home. However, her family has different plans; they want her married and far away from the town's dangers. Defiant, she sets out to prove she can also slay vampires. But her encounter with a sediento, who is unexpectedly handsome and kind, leads her to question everything she knows. Lalo Villalobos's duties were to care for his younger sibling, continue the family business, and start his own family. Yet, everything changes when he becomes a sediento and must leave the city, determined to find the first of his kind and end the curse. When Lalo meets a determined young woman intent on staking him, they discover a shared enemy. Together, this unlikely duo embarks on a quest to defeat these malevolent creatures.
I adored this unexpected romantic fantasy featuring vampires and vampire slayers. The banter between the MMC and FMC was delightful, with a strong MMC to root for and their shared commitment to protecting their loved ones. Rich in culture and lore, this book captivated me from the beginning. And the cover? Absolute perfection!
This is my first encounter with Angela Montoya's work, and I am certainly inclined to explore more of her books.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review..

A Cruel Thirst aims for the heart in this thrilling adventure where a creature of death strives for life, and his hunter must decide whether to go for the stake or go for the risk in aiding him on his quest.

Carolina is a vampire huntress and Lalo is a newly turned vampire who seeks to find salvation after being forcibly turned. Together they make a formidable duo, going on a quest that will result in many discovered truths.

The plot is well paced, the action thrilling, the mystery alluring, and the romance brews with all the chemistry. I instantly enjoyed Carolina and Lalo-- both individually and as a pair. Carolina is headstrong and determined to prove herself worthy as any hunter in her family. Lalo is more reserved and uncertain, but his heart is one of resolve. To find a way out of his new "life" and find a way to end all vampires. I loved both characters, but Lalo truly took my heart.

Lalo is sweet, shy, awkward, and so gentle. He goes against the grain of so many YA male heroes. There is a softness that is so unexpected. His softness is an ironic contrast to his newly grown fangs and appetite, but it further highlights who he is at his core. A lover, not a warrior. A learner, not a destroyer. We need more heroes like Lalo! He's truly a revelation.

I think this book perfectly targets its young adult audience, I feel oftentimes todays YA sort of toes the line into more adult spaces (which is admittedly my preference), but it's very nice to read a YA that embraces wholly its genre. I respect so much how beautifully suited it is for younger audiences. Were I an adolescent this is the book I'd grow instantly obsessed with. The leads are so wonderfully relatable and its romance is one that should be admired and one to strive for. I really enjoyed meeting this story and its characters.

Overall, if you enjoy all things vampires and swoony romances, gentle heroes, and empowering heroines, be sure to pick up A Cruel Thirst!

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Joy Revolution for this complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.

OMG this book was so much fun!! It was thrilling, entertaining, and full of excitement! Once I started I was hooked.

Carolina was a fierce, bossy, take no crap woman. I loved her. She was a handful for sure and I enjoyed her journey and growth throughout the story.

Lalo… oh sweet Lalo. He was so adorable! I loved his character. A total golden retriever monster so to speak. I really connected with him and rooted for him the whole way through.

Carolina and Lalo together were loads of fun! Their banter was entertaining. The dynamics of their relationship was fun and it was awesome to see a woman in charge as well.

So many good tropes in here like; enemies to reluctant allies to lovers, fake engagement, she tries to xx him, vampire/vampire hunters, cat and mouse, hiding in plain sight, fierce hunter FMC, cinnamon roll vampire MMC, family secrets, sibling love, unexpected love, forced proximity, touch him and xx, they save each other, she won’t give up on him, first kiss and then some… and so much more!!

4.5 ⭐️
This book was beautiful!
Lalo is hilarious, Carolina is such a badass! And there has got to be nothing better then cinnamon roll vampires! 🥰
It was such a fun and fast paced book, I loved the was she worked in the mythology to the storyline and the sedientos origins. The fact the Lalo is so bad at being a vampire got me every single time (I mean how could you not laugh when a vampire gags on blood)
I don’t read a lot of vampire stories but this one did a great job of being just the right amount of spooky and atmospheric!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya is a third person dual-POV YA historical fantasy romance set in Mexico in the 1700-1800s. Lalo is the son of a successful businessman and an academic who loves poetry while Carolina is the daughter of a line of vampire hunters. When Lalo is turned into a vampire and meets Carolina, she sees her chance to prove herself to her father while Lalo hopes to kill the person who turned him, but neither were planning on falling in love.

I was not expecting this to be as funny as it was. It didn’t make me laugh out loud (which is very hard to do in general), but certain lines and choices made by the characters did tickle me. Angela Montoya knows how to balance the drama with comedy so it never leans into romcom territory, but there’s still humor to be found so it’s not pure drama. Fantasy romances very often lean dramatic or humorous and tend to lean firmly one way or the other, so this felt like a bit of a change of pace.

Lalo and Carolina’s love is definitely not Insta-love but I wouldn’t call it a slowburn either. Carolina and Lalo do notice the other is attractive, but Carolina is initially more interested in using Lalo so she can finally have everything she has ever wanted while Lalo sees her resources as a way to learn more about Maricela, the vampire who bit him. They start getting close when they meet up again at Carolina’s house and her father catches them alone and very close together and assumes they were kissing. Carolina takes the chance to pretend she and Lalo are in love and ruin her father’s plans to marry her off to someone she has no interest in.

I am not as well-versed in Mexican folklore and Aztec stories as I would like to be, so I cannot say definitively what was created by Montoya and what was coming from those sources. We have Tecuani, a god who is partially responsible for the vampires, and mentions of other deities that I didn’t recognize, so I’m not sure where they came from. I bring this up because I thought the world was built quite well and I liked what I read, but if someone has deep knowledge about Mexican folklore and Aztec stories, they might have a different opinion on whether or not it worked.

I would recommend this to fans of vampire romances, readers who love a YA historical fantasy with a strong romance, and those looking an enemies-to-lovers vampire x vampire hunter Romantasy

Montoya’s gift of incorporating her own twists on classic themes and monsters leaves readers with a memorable impression of her writing. The novel has many characteristics of the “classic” bloodsucker; burning up in the sun, needing an invitation inside someone’s home, and super strength. Her vampires also absorb the memories and shorten the lifespan of their victims with every bite. This feat of the vampires added to the intensity of the attacks and for the protagonists to reach victory. An additional attribute of her strong writing style in this novel is the inclusion of newspaper articles, journal entries, and more that amplify the plot. While readers can enjoy the story of Carolina and Lalo, Montoya demonstrates that she can successfully relay a story from all angles.

5 Star Read
I honestly had started this book and got worried that it wasn't for me. I pushed through and oh my gosh am I glad I did. This book was everything. Lalo and Carolina, their story. It is beautiful.
I will say, I considered giving this book 4.75 stars solely because I just felt one detail regarding vampires could have been explained better but I just can't, it was so good it deserves the 5 stars.
If you're hesitating to read this, if you enjoy fantasy and want an amazing love story but also a story about two people coming to find themselves, this is for you.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!

While I’ll be the first to say I’m not wild about vampire romances, Angela Montoya’s A Cruel Thirst is a rather delightful outing in the genre. I really enjoyed how Lalo and Carolina’s characters upset a lot of genre norms. Lalo, especially, not being the rippling abs, alpha male type was refreshing. He read very much as a normal teenage boy unwillingly thrust into this role and this world. I really enjoyed that. And Carolina had much more depth than a lot of the stabby heroines that have populated the genre of late.
So while I found the end confusing, if not contrived, I have to say I enjoyed the journey immensely.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's | Joy Revolution for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

Looking for your next addictive enemies to lovers romantasy to binge read in a day because you just can’t put it down?

She’s Buffy with a dash of Zoro, he’s a nerdy vampire who can’t stand the taste of blood.
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙣, 𝙙𝙤 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨.

A Cruel Thirst is giving 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 meets 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘭 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦.
And the romance is delicious.
I’m taking knife to the-throat, electric chemistry, witty banter, swoony, lovable characters, type of deliciousness.

It’s a fairly common plot devise- boy turns into vampire, boy meets girl, girl is a fierce and capable female who’s being married off by her parents- but it feels comforting yet fresh.

Add in a historical element and Mexican lore, and you have a well done and bingeworthy YA romantasy!

A big case of right book wrong time I think. I believe I would have loved this if I read it when I was younger, or before I've read so many other amazing fantasy romance/enemies to lovers books.
The writing was a bit juvenile for my taste, but I'll try and might give it another chance once it comes out.

An absolutely fun and amazing vampire romantasy! This book had such a fresh take on vampires and the thrilling enemies-to-lovers dynamic with the vampire x vampire hunter trope had me in a chokehold.

A Cruel Thirst is well-paced and the world-building and atmosphere felt seamless and captivating. I especially loved the and gods element in the story adding a well rounded complexity to the story.

As for the characters, Carolina is a total badass. She is fierce, headstrong, and capable. And cue the swooning because Lalo, is such a sweet soul! I loved his reluctance to be a vampire and his gentle nature, even when dealing with intense thirst.

I actually enjoyed the pacing of the romance, it was swoon-worthy and their personalities meshed so well together.

Those who have a thirst for vampires and are fans of fantasy worlds (with some amazing romance) will love this romantasy.

Add this one to your TBR because I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy once it releases.

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House Children, Angela Montoya, and NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.