
Member Reviews

A story about two vampires, Rebekah and Hugh. Rebekah feeds on lust, Hugh feeds on misery, and together they’re a happy married couple. They decide to go on a cruise. Hugh becomes infatuated with a influencer named Heaven and Rebekah spirals, trying to understand why her husband would like this maybe-not-human person and why it feels like Heaven is everywhere. There’s a very funny narrator in Rebekah and I enjoyed her confidence in herself and unwillingness to change for a man.

I found this to be sort of hard to get into. It felt very teen angst. "No one's paying attention to me! Oh Gods I'm not the center of attention! I'm hot! Why can't anyone notice me?!?" I was waiting for the humor and horror as that was how it was billed, but I assume it is something that I just wasn't the intended audience?
I'm in my 40s so I understand I'm beyond a lot of the younger author's scope.
There was a good balance on the sex scenes between explicit and implied, though I'm sure there will be people who will be upset.
Again at the end it's with the teen angst. Is the "horror" that the main character gets killed? Oh please yes.
Oh well. That didn't work.
I just never was into the pretty, selfish ones.

Ok, this was so much fun. Vampires at sea, honeymoon bliss and a magical curse. What could go wrong?

I enjoyed the idea of this book, vampires being on a cruise, which was a refreshing twist. There were times I enjoyed this read, however, I felt it was lacking something (could be due to my own reading preferences). I also felt there was a subject that kept coming up (usually when referring to things on land) that was never fully explained. I did really love the way in which these vampires drained others, we’ve all met an emotional vampire at some point! So that felt like a fresher take on the vampire theme. The conclusion felt rushed, leaving some plot threads unresolved. Although this was confusing at times, there were also times I enjoyed the hedonistic style of some onboard the ship

Dark, smutty, queer, and filled with interesting supernatural elements.
If a reader wants dark queer vampires on an adult cruise then they should ABSOLUTELY check this book out. The writing style is descriptive and atmospheric.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I am pleasantly shocked by my enjoyment of this--! Vampires at Sea is dripping with sarcastic venom, absurd eroticism, and sharp, laugh-out-loud commentary. Narrated by Rebekah—flawed, unhinged, and absolutely hilarious—this book had me cackling from the first page. I kind of love and hate her? Her voice is sharp, chaotic, and uniquely her own, with fourth wall breaks and razor-edged wit that keep the story moving at a deliciously manic pace.
Hugh, her vampire partner, is her absolute opposite in every way, and loathes what they are/whilst also getting off on it? There's this line that Rebekah says about him, "especially when waxing poetic about his crush on Jesus: 'that effeminate anorexic, with his xylophone ribs and over-the-top resurrection.” The entire book is filled with these kinds of lines—unapologetically dark, b-a-n-a-n-a-s, and hilarious.
Merbaum absolutely nails the balance between sexy and ridiculous. The story pokes fun at queer culture in a way that feels like a wink from the inside, not a jab from the outside. It’s manic, horny, unserious fun with just enough heart to make you care. (We're on vacation!) and can’t recommend it enough for anyone looking for a wild, sharp, and smutty horror-comedy romp.

"Hugh is such a fan of Jesus, that effeminate anorexic, with his xylophone ribs and over-the-top ressurection, a masochist vamp who volunteers his own blood for others to drink. (Gross.)"
Vampires at Sea is dripping with sarcastic venom, incisively funny, and absurdly erotic. The incredibly unique voice of Rebekah, our narrator, will make you laugh out loud with her commentary and her occasional fourth wall breaks. (I'm picturing her like a narcissistic, sluttier, bitchier Fleabag. Or, perhaps, if Fleabag and Lestat had a daughter.)
Amanda Manns does a great job of balancing the inherent sexiness of vampires with the ridiculously funny parts, too. It pokes fun at queer culture in a lighthearted, inside joke kind of way that could only be achieved by someone involved in it. I read this story in just a few days while on vacation (We're on vacation!) and I would recommend others do the same!

Well... I started wishing for more pages and in the end this was the perfect length. Sometimes I like no plot just vibes books, but this was a little too meandering for me. People that enjoy weird little books, like The Woods All Black will probably enjoy Vampires at Sea, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
The summary says everything, we follow a couple of vampires on a cruise and encounter a person that intrigues them both. Also, there's a lot of sex. If this sounds interesting to you, go for it, that's exactly what you get.
Thank you Netgalley and Amanda Manns for the e-ARC!

I liked the take on the 'vampires' feeding on energy rather than blood and the fact that a lot of the story was contained to the ship but a lot of this fell flat. The book felt like it was trying to be WWDITS but without half of the wit or charm that accompanies it. A lot of the characters felt vapid and there was very little character progression throughout the book.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read the novella.

1,5⭐️
When intoduced to the idea of a married vampire couple going on a hedonical cruise, where they meet a shape-shifting unicorn they both fall in love with, and you decorate this premise with some rivalry, I will eat this shit up. That is precisely why it pains me to rate "Vampires at Sea" so low, but this novella did not live up to any expectations at all.
Firstly, if you want a sexy, romantic story of a couple, the couple have to bear any emotions towards each other. Rebekah and Hugh feel like arranged marriage they don't despise, but certainly don't enjoy, either. And every couple of pages Rebekah hypocritically becomes jealous of his attention, proposing the idea of her loving him, but in the end it's about something different.
And that is the second point – I couldn't stand her. Pity, as she is the narrator. Her jealousy-turned-lust towards Heaven would be greatly enjoyable, if she wasn't so... much. Her marriage with Hugh is about control, first he grows bored and blunt, then she's frustrated when he tries to change anything, yet she bears no interest in bonding with him. Hugh's an avan-garde artist, but she supposedly hates art, or it simply bores her. But beware anyone who would like to even converse lightly with her husband, as Rebekah the harpy will plan your murder. And she? She sleeps with anyone who will even slightly glare at her. Hugh has to accept that, but gods forbid he tries to someone fun on the side.
Once again, such description sounds like an interesting piece of a book, but gods Rebekah makes it unbearable. With all her lust, her constant reminders of "see, I told you I were different" and this emptiness inside her it hollows the plot, too. I would be on board with the idea of toxic wife and her adventures, but this is not fun. It's miserable.
The premise about which author talks about in acknowledgement is visible – however what she missed was the element of entertainment. The ending didn't help with that. It was so, so disappointing, to discover there is no sense of change, no understanding, no conversation, not even any fun from erotical parts. The rivalry sucks, the revenge falls flat, there are no bursting emotions. Writing isn'tgreat, either; certain elements were supposed to be comedic (I've suspected an inspiration from WWDITS, which was proved by acknowledgement, however it is an inspiration that doesn't understand why the source was funny in the first place), but with quotes like: "In the evening, I force myself to hunt even though my heart - or is it my clit? - still isn't it." it was needlessly sexual. The juxtaposition between Heaven, a modern influencer, and Hugh, old-way elegant artist, and their unexpected feelings may have worked, but not from the current perspective.
A very frustrating read about toxic woman that neither enjoys her toxicity nor tries to change it anyhow. She should have been in therapy, but frankly, she would fuck her therapist and then eat him. And that's not how it works.

I honestly don’t know what I expected from this book but I wasn’t prepared for how uncomfortable it would make me. The smut felt less like a useless addition to the story and more like something shoved in for show(?), with no real buildup or emotional weight. Scenes that were supposed to be hot just came off as awkward, gross, and even unsettling at times. And not in a good horror way. I found myself cringing more often than feeling any connection to the characters. Well, though I can't really blame anyone. I'm the one who choose to read this book.

3.5 stars
The reading experience of this book was very confusingly inconsistent for me. On one page, I'd be enjoying it very much and then on the next I was bored and wanting to skim.
This is a short book that is very character driven, and it does a great job of setting up the dynamic of the three main characters. A vampire couple in an open relationship. Rebekkah, an exhibitionist, and her supportive husband who have each gone through a stream of inconsequential lovers. And Heaven a non-binary stranger stealing her man.
I really appreciated the main character's journey from extreme confidence in herself and her relationship to having it all completely shaken to where she ended up at the end. And the ending was fantastic by the way. A 5 star ending.
I think the main drawbacks for me were the writing style and the pacing. For instance, throughout the book she thinks, "We're on vacation!" Sometimes this was really effective. Sometimes it didn't work for me and felt overdone. Sometimes the book felt a little cheesy, but then other times it felt wonderfully Camp.
I really liked this but I also didn't. I think this book will be second hand fun, where maybe I didn't enjoy everything while I was reading it but I will genuinely enjoy the memories.
I see major potential in this author, and I would absolutely read her work again.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Rebekah and Hugh, a married couple and centuries old vampires, decide to go on a cruise and let loose. They meet the mysterious Heaven, who shakes things up for them which sets Rebekah's world askew as she fumbles to set things right.
I thought the idea was unique, I enjoyed the interesting way these vampires "fed" and the first person pov of Rebekah. Her immortal mindset and then the spiraling of her life kept me engaged the whole time. I enjoyed the halfway-through realization of the stakes and the danger to this couple. I very much enjoyed how everything unfolded. In novellas, you don't get a lot of time to set up the setting, characters and story, and I thought this did a really good job with all of those things. I didn't really know what I was getting into with this novella, and I very much enjoyed myself overall.
The sex was pretty... unsexy, although I didn't mind in the context of the story that much, but don't go into this expecting anything too erotic. I wished however, that it covered more of Rebekah's past, or why she was having odd deja vu/visions. I was confused why those were even added in there, as they didn't seem to have much point to me. There were quite a few things that were introduced and then never really managed to come to fruition. Another example would be "the war" being a backdrop of the world outside the cruise- that was another part that I wish was touched on a little more in some capacity. Or the other vampire character introduced later on in the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC!

I thought, 'Cool! Queer White Lotus with energy vampires!' Turns out I do not like queer White Lotus with energy vampires.
This book delivers exactly what it says it will. The characters are hateable, complex, and a vehicle for satire. The writing is sharp and nuanced. The setting is beautifully rendered. I feel like I walked into a restaurant and asked for liquorice ice cream for the first time. I didn't like it, but the fault is not with the restaurant.
This was a quick, easy-flowing read and I finished it early yesterday. 24-hours later I'm still constantly thinking about it. Did I hate it? Maybe. It was definitely too bleak, the satire too cutting for my particular tastes. But it left a strong impression.
Lindsay Merbaum is a talented writer. This one wasn't for me, but I can appreciate the skill here and will for sure pay attention to the next book she releases.

This book was not at all what I expected - In a good way!
Rebekah and Hugh, both vampires feeding off of the emotions of others, are on vacation! They've been together longer than Rebekah can remember, and she does not care to remember. The present is what matters and the present is a little tense. Hence the vacation. But what begins as a refreshing trip quickly turns south wih the arrival of Heaven. Hugh is entranced and Rebekah sees herself, for the first time, confronted with the idea that she could lose what she's had for so long.
Starting this book, I expected smut and vampires. Don't get me wrong. I did get vampires and I did get the occasional smut. However, I also got a tale of jealousy and loss. Being forced to reflect on your life and your past, when numbing it all with sex just doesn't do it anymore. Over the course of the cruise Rebekah involuntarily finds herself on a journey of finding out who she is and most importantly - what does she want? Who is she apart from a hot, jaw dropping woman and a suffering artist's wife?
Calling this book smut almost does it injustice. There is sex - a lot of it - but never described in detail. The focus of the story is Rebekah's inner life. Her wants, her fear at not knowing who Heaven is and what they want with Hugh and her realisation that by ignoring her past she has lost her self.
Lindsay Merbaum has created a unique story and even now I still feel that I'm not able to put into words what this story actually is. It's in its own way beautifully written. I wasn't able to stop reading because even though I didn't relate to Rebekah and I'm not sure I even like her, I wanted to know more. Just like Hugh was enthralled with Heaven, this book has held me captive. I only wish the ending hadn't felt so abrupt. While it makes sense, I feel like there is still so much about Rebekah's story to tell and I would have loved to know more.

Immortal beloveds Rebekah and Hugh are on vacation! This pair of emotional vampires from San Francisco sets off on a queer Black Sea Cruise, eager to relax and feast upon their fellow passengers’ desires and sorrows. When Hugh becomes enchanted by an alluring–and possibly magical–nonbinary social media influencer named Heaven, Rebekah’s reality capsizes, and her true nature is unleashed.
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I felt there were lots of potential plot points mentioned but then never touched on again - for example, a war going on was mentioned, but no further context was given. I would also have loved for it to elaborate into Rebekah’s past more, as she hinted at it a lot, but again it went no further.
The ending was also unsatisfactory in my opinion.

An interesting book about two psychic vampires on a cruise where they meet a third individual who is definitely more than they seem. This book took my love of first person vampire narration and ran with it, and I was not surprised at all in the acknowledgements to see a comment made towards Anne Rice's ghost.
I'm gonna be honest right from the start and say I didn't like the first person POV character of Rebekah. That isn't to say I didn't like the book. In a horror such as this one, I don't necessarily think liking the main character is a requirement. She articulated the story in an interesting way, though, so I kept on reading. She had a couple of interesting character quirks, such as calling everyone she came across by they/them pronouns and seeming completely unable to remember the names of most anyone she'd come across after they exited her line of vision.
Other things like how well the tension was strung throughout the entire novel certainly makes up for it. The oppressive nature of the narration that started as just discomfort (for me, at least) due to the fact that this third person was coming in and breaking all accepted rules of ethical non monogamy developed into something far more sinister and I liked that. I don't think I've actually seen it in any other novel and that uniqueness, if nothing else, earns it an extra star.
I also couldn't really understand the allure of Hugh as someone Rebekah had been married to for so long. He seemed depressed, a wet blanket who might have been able to hold himself in a way that was alluring many years ago but surely the physical appeal of him would have faded away to someone like Rebekah. I put it down their continuing relationship to habit and read on.
Then we meet Heaven who is possibly the most interesting, androgynous enby character I've come across in fiction - and they're the antagonist of the piece! This is perfect on both counts. The fact that I was low-key terrified of them for most of the story just... yes, this was the injection this character driven novel needed.
Definitely not a sparkly vampire or teenage love interest to be seen. This is an unapologetic feminist horror memoir set over 14 days.

"Hugh's name is Hugo, but I decided at some point to call him Hugh, after Anaïs Nin's better-known husband. He doesn't mind."
This book did not meet my expectations, and I am so incredibly disappointed about that. Rebekah and Hugh are two "energy" vampires, embarking on a queer cruise.
They spend their days drinking and fucking. They're not polyamorous, but they're not monogamous, either. Hugo and Rebekah end up meeting a person named Heaven—someone whom Rebekah immediately detests, and for good reasons other than jealousy.
I hated both of our protagonists, but I hated Heaven even more. A completely insufferable character alongside Rebekah and Hugo, which made all of the dialogue irritating.
The synopsis was right in saying this novella featured unbridled narcissism. Vampires at Sea was easy to read, and full of heaps of decidedly unsexy sex. If you're going into this expecting erotically queer vampires, that's not what you'll get.
Rebekah is self-absorbed, and she and Hugo have been together for centuries. Hugo is a sophisticated art type, while Rebekah is the classy day-drinking and hunting type. They clash when Hugo falls in love with Heaven, destroying Rebekah's internal hierarchy of places she takes in Hugo's life.
I feel as though so much more could've been done, though it was... not. I greatly thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Sometimes a novel is difficult to explain, or to review, and this is certainly one of those cases. I honestly don’t know, both what to say about this and even if I liked it. It was a bit of a fever dream, and the reader is simply along for the ride. Honestly, I liked that.
I do know that it was well written, original, and an absolute page turner. Given its short length, this is something that you will likely read in a single sitting. There were some incredibly creative elements to this novella, with different and unexpected twists on well established tropes. Overall, this was well done.
It was also chaotic, with a little too much content packed into the page count. I recommend reading slowly and taking your time to digest as you read. Some of the language was unnecessarily complicated and some elements were vague or confusing, but it was done in a way that made sense.
I feel that the author is somewhat of a kindred spirit, who despises cruises despite having been on several.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

3.25 stars
Vampires at Sea follows two emotional vampires who decide to take a Mediterranean vacation on a queer cruise. There they meet the enchanting Heaven, whose irresistibility causes chaos.
I liked the imagery in this work and thought the concept was fun. However, the execution left me a bit wanting. I did not find any of the characters all that engaging and ended up caring little for their outcomes. I wish this had been fleshed out a bit more since the concept is such a blast.
Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for access to this work. All opinions are my own.