This is a cute MM romance between a vampire and the human who had previously wronged him. It's usually exactly the kind of book I love, but Thirsty ultimately fell a little flat for me. I'm not sure if it's the characters themselves or their initial motivations that just don't seem that interesting to me.

A fun, adorable romcom with an endearing hero at its heart. This was exactly what I was craving! I loved the paranormal aspect and the way that the "coming out" of all the magical creatures was handled.

Unfortunately this book and I just didn’t click. I really wanted to like it because I love a good paranormal romance and make it lgbtqia+ and I’m even more down, but I just couldn’t get into this one….. the first interactions of the characters just left me completely uninterested and a little annoyed. Between Charles randomly shouting Lorenzo’s name in the coffee shop giving me second hand embarrassment and Lorenzo’s quite frankly childish grudge against Charles I was lost it was really childish behavior for a few centuries old vampire.

i was so pleasantly surprised by this! very pulpy, very cute — the perfect cozy romance for those who are craving queer paranormal that feels like a warm hug. the article sections in this are hilarious. if i had to complain about anything it’s that i wish the romance was a little more developed — but i enjoyed this a lot more than most of the paranormals coming out recently.

This was so adorable, I had such a blast! Honestly, I was in the mood for a fun rom com with an interesting set up, and this didn’t disappoint. I loved Charlie and Lorenzo so much, and the supernatural element really did it for me. I loved seeing them progress into an actual relationship, and honestly, I was in the mood for something a little more fast burn, and luckily this was that for me.

If you’re looking for something campy yet heartwarming, I think this will scratch the itch for you. I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, so I needed a palette cleanser. This book came at the perfect time for me. It was adorable, I loved the characters, and it was relatively low stakes. Just a quick read full of enough sweetness to make me giggle and kick my feet.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martins for the arc! I enjoyed this one.

A cozy paranormal romcom with fun worldbuilding, but the romance and character development feel a bit underbaked. The supernatural elements shine, especially the found family dynamic, but the central conflict resolves too easily, making the emotional stakes feel low. Entertaining, but not quite as sharp or immersive as it could have been.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

If you’re looking for a cozy MM paranormal romance, Thirsty delivers on that front, but don’t expect a lot of depth or rom com level humor. While the book sets up an intriguing supernatural world with a diverse cast of creatures, the romance and execution left me wanting more.

The highlight of this book for me was definitely the worldbuilding. I really enjoyed seeing how different supernatural communities integrated into modern society, and the found family theme was a nice touch. But that’s where my enjoyment mostly stopped. The romance? A bit bland. The stakes? Too low for me to stay fully invested. I know cozy romances don’t dive too deep, but I would’ve liked to see more than a paragraph or two dedicated to Charlie and Lorenzo actually working through their issues. Their attraction also felt sudden—one moment they were annoyed with each other, and the next, bam, romantic tension.

And speaking of things that didn’t work for me…
🔹 Lorenzo’s revenge plot – A 200 year old vampire holding a grudge over a university fling? Felt a bit meh.
🔹 Charlie’s advice column subplot – Why were all these internet strangers seeking out his column instead of, you know, Reddit?
🔹 The writing/editing – There were formatting issues (hoping this gets cleaned up before final publication), including missing italics and quotation marks that made it difficult to follow. Some chapters also jumped forward in time abruptly.
🔹 The pop culture references – Some felt too niche or outdated already, which can quickly date a book.
🔹 The first spice scene… on a wrecked car? – Not only was this placement odd, but the scene itself was so awkwardly written that I couldn’t tell what was happening. 😬

Despite these issues, if you love cozy paranormal romances and don’t mind a low stakes, fluffier read, you might enjoy this more than I did. But if you’re looking for something with stronger emotional depth, a more engaging romance, or polished execution, Thirsty may leave you feeling a little… parched. 💀🩸

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Lehane, and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Lehane, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me access to the e-arc.

Paranormal romcom is one of my favorite subgenres. So I thought I would love a story about a human needing help understanding the supernatural world from the vampire who wants revenge on him. But this book did not work for me. I found the main character's reactions and decisions throughout the book frustrating. Their romance came out of nowhere. I enjoyed Charlie getting to know different supernatural traditions. I found that to be interesting. I wanted more of that. I saw the potential of this book. I hope others enjoy it more than I did.

Rounding up from 3.5.

Charlie is an advice columnist struggling with writers block, who moves back to his hometown to save money. He runs into Lorenzo, an ex-boyfriend of a friend of his, who turns out to be a vampire. Lorenzo is angry at Charlie for advising Olivia (a school friend) to break up with him, and Charlie is desperate to have an in with the local supernaturals (werewolves, trolls, poltergeists, druids, etc) so that he can use that information to revitalize his advice column. As they spend more time together, a romance blossoms.

I think the story was fun, and I like a flawed protagonist, so I could forgive Charlie doing the predictable thing and not telling Lorenzo about the column until his father let it slip. I also really enjoyed the found family aspect, and Lorenzo’s roommates had such interesting stories I wanted to know them better.

However, I do feel that the issues between Charlie and Lorenzo were resolved too quickly and easily, not even counting the column reveal. Lorenzo’s whole feeling about Charlie at the beginning is that he wants to make him miserable because he contributed to his breakup with Olivia, but then that is only ever addressed in a short scene. I would have liked to see them flesh out the actual details of their conflict a bit better. I feel like other characters in the book had a more thorough discussion of hurt feelings.

I did really love Lorenzo getting into the feelings of sadness and ennui from being immortal and feeling like he was lacking purpose. That’s always such a compelling theme in vampire lit.

I know this book was a cozy sit down while also thrilling with the world building and drama that occurred and it was just as I imagined it would be. I liked the cover and the description and the emotions from both characters, oh my! My heart was racing and I was so drawn by the plot and characters. The side characters were great to get to know and interact with, especially as they showed their loyalty for either main character. I liked how both characters went on a journey and how they came together at the end, especially one aspect of it! but I wont say cuz of spoilers so definitely read this book if you like cozy and supernatural books. Oh! I loved the world building, all the other characters of different species and how we learned about them seamlessly. Overall, it was a wonderful read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Lucy Lehane, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

I adored parts of this book and found others a bit lacking. Really its more like a 3.5 star rating. I wanted deeper things from the main characters, something more than surgace level, but I loved their interactions and romance. This is a very cozy romance/fantasy book. I think people who like Travis Baldrees books would also love this.

Overall, a decent read, and for people looking for sweet, easy going vampire content, look no further.

I loved this book! It's very character-driven in the best kind of way, with amazing side characters who all get very full personalities and lives. The world building was really interesting and leaves space for a lot more in the future, which I hope will be to come!

Definitely campy, sweetly romantic, paranormal read. I read to enjoy and I found this one highly enjoyable!
A slightly unique take on paranormal society and wow, there is so much opportunity to expand on in this world.
Charlie is an openly gay, accidental advice columnist, writing as the Wise Old Chrone. He is losing his spark, his motivation, and as payment is structured around "engagement", he is losing money. Charlie receives lots of questions around paranormal relationships, but since Charlie doesn't know anything about it, he can't really answer those which limits him to rehashed old answers and reduced readership.
Charlie moves back to his home town to save money and try to find that spark when he runs into Lorenzo. Lorenzo, who he now understands is an ancient vampire, and who holds a grudge against Charlie for a prior slight that Charlie had no understanding of.
Charlie comes off somewhat like a hyperactive puppy in his quest for Lorenzo to educate him on the paranormal world, but with his persistence we are taken on a tour of different paranormal groups. It was fun to tag along.
Regarding romance, in general, I dislike the miscommunication trope. I'm always waiting for the proverbial explosion when it all comes to light. These characters came into this relationship with their hidden agendas and secrets and fell for each other in spite of themselves.
I do think the fall was sweetly done, the spice wasn't over the top, and the resolution, while a little rushed, was handled well. I really liked how Charlie's dad came into play in the end.
I also think there is opportunity here for the secondary characters to shine in their own stories.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this e-arc!

I liked this but it wasnt my favorite. I thoght the chemistry faded and the dynamic shifted a bit too fast for my liking

this was okay, I liked it at first but i got tired of it fast. I thought the switch from dislike to lovers was really weird.

I had a great time with this book, it was quite hilarious and I loved all the characters in it. There was so much to enjoy about it from beginning to end, it kept me hooked the whole time. I enjoyed the dynamic between Charlie and Lorenzo, they're such a fun pair.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this early!

A queer paranormal romance? Sign me up for all of it. I thought this was a good book with a nice romance.

Charlie solía ser el rey de las columnas de consejos, una figura conocida por ofrecer respuestas sabias a quienes buscaban ayuda en cuestiones del corazón y la vida cotidiana. Sin embargo, el tiempo pasó y lo que antes era una fuente constante de inspiración, ahora lo tenía atrapado en un bloqueo creativo. Su columna, que en el pasado fue un éxito rotundo, ya no era lo que la gente esperaba. Los mensajes que recibía se habían transformado en peticiones de respuestas sobre temas a los que él no tiene conocimiento: criaturas sobrenaturales. Si no lograba escribir sobre lo que ahora cautivaba al público, sería despedido.

Un día, mientras disfrutaba de un café en la quietud de la noche, se encontró con un viejo compañero de universidad: Lorenzo. Lo que comenzó como una casual conversación, rápidamente se convirtió en una confrontación inesperada. Lorenzo, con un tono cargado de resentimiento, lo acusó de haber sido el responsable de la ruptura con su novia años atrás. Lo que Charlie no sabía era que Lorenzo no era cualquier persona, sino un vampiro, y que su verdadera motivación no era solo el reproche, sino algo mucho más complejo. Cuando Chalie le pidió ayuda para comprender el mundo sobrenatural, la venganza por la vieja disputa lo impulsó a aceptar la oferta, pero bajo ciertas condiciones.

Charlie no era del tipo que se dejaba intimidar fácilmente, por lo que propuso un trato: haría todo lo que Lorenzo le pidiera, y si lograba hacer bien su trabajo, el vampiro le respondería una pregunta crucial sobre los seres sobrenaturales. Lo que Charlie no sospechaba era que Lorenzo no solo quería aprender, sino que su verdadero propósito era acercarse a él, descubrir sus puntos débiles y usar esa información para vengarse.

Durante las semanas siguientes, Charlie se sumergió en el mundo de los seres fantásticos que Lorenzo le presentó. Descubrió que los vampiros, los fantasmas y otras criaturas sobrenaturales eran mucho más reales de lo que jamás había imaginado. A medida que compartían tiempo juntos, comenzaron a forjar una amistad, y esa amistad gradualmente se transformó en algo más profundo. Sin embargo, un gran secreto de Charlie seguía acechando: nunca le había contado a Lorenzo que la razón por la que estaba investigando su mundo no era una simple tesis académica, sino un artículo para su columna. Cuando Lorenzo descubriera la traición, ¿cómo reaccionaría?



~
Disfrute del libro.

Quería que Isolde encontrara a su familia, ¿será que su historia será la sigue?



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Got this very fun ARC from @youhadmeathea! It was such an interesting romance because of all the different types of supernaturals, not just vampires. There are trolls and possessions and werewolves! I liked learning the supernatural elements and how mundane a lot of it was! But it was still a very sweet, lovely romance between Lorenzo and Charlie. A great read for spooky season in the Fall!