3.5 stars but bumped to 4 for reviewing sites.

This was a very cosy read, perfect for rainy days. The beginning had me hooked, and I powered through 70% before I finally had to call it a night.

The humour was brilliant. I found myself laughing out loud at the quick wit and quips, and quickly came to loving Winnie as a character. As for Alaric, his portrayal played on my heart strings and I was genuinely so eager to see him open up and find happiness. The portrayal of both of their struggles and the juxtaposition between them was well done, and I was able to see both sides and empathise with them for different reasons.

Despite this being a long book, I was never bored. I was actually grateful for it because I was really immersed in this funny, romantic little town. Where the book lost points for me is that for perhaps the last 20% of this book, everything felt rushed, like it was suddenly realised that it needed to wrap up all its plots. I think there could have been more exploration of Alaric’s hoarding and how he overcame it, and definitely more emphasis on when, how and why Winnie decided she would be turned into a vampire. It seemed to just be “Because I love you and you bought me a house so all good”.

Overall, I loved the characters, the plot, the vibes, the wit and the romantic development. I wasn’t a huge fan of the pop culture references, but that’s a me thing and I didn’t include it in my rating. Moreover I wish I had known there was a predecessor to this series that explained Mina’s experience. However, this was a perfectly cosy and spooky read and I’d definitely read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This book was such a fun read. While it was cosy and felt like home. There were some lines that had me screaming.

Immaculate, perfection, a cosy vampire read. If I could live in a book this would be the one. All the characters are witty, charming and full of charm. We've got a fake marriage, he falls first and harder, vampires and secrets.

I just love Winnie, she's such a gorgeous and fun bubbly character despite the hardships and trauma she has with her hoarder mother. Even if she's oblivious to signs about Vampires lurking in the town.

Alaric is such a sweet kind gentleman who has a taste for blood and is incredibly hot. Like "I want her so badly that I might have to stake myself through the heart just to keep her safe from me. " Their chemistry and relationship is adorable. The yearning is to die for.

Now the links between Steffanie's other work (Nevermore Bookshop and Grimdale Graveyard) are perfect. I had a serious chuckle at some of the references. And the dynamics of the bookshop coven are so much fun. I adore Mina the blind bookshop owner.

Definitely recommending this book for those who love vampire books like interview with a vampire, drama and heavy metal.

I really struggled reading this book, it didn’t catch my attention right from the good go, which is something I always look for in a book.

I found that it wasn’t similar to other books that I had read the past.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me.

Fangs for Nothing by Staffanie Homes introduces us to Winnie, a sunshine human clutter buster employed to whip Alaric, a brooding, smexy good-looking creative vampyr recluse into gear for ball his estranged mother insists on hosting at his cluttered castle. Said ball is sure to have multiple bloodsuckers in attendance and humans might be well advised to steer clear. However, Alaric, our 500 year old enigmatic vampyr sees an opportunity to avoid his mothers meddling and initiates a fake engagement with Winnie.

This was a long book (496 pages) with a very deliberate and cruisey first half.  The cosy detail held my attention for the most part but i admit to skipping pages. No one is in a hurry but with so many characters to be established, a romance to spark and a side of local murder to solve it needed to move a little quicker for me.

I thought this was a standalone but, given the familiarity of the members of The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven members maybe not?

The banter and language felt juvenile at times. While I could chuff at the Stabby Chic decor maybe I like my puns a little less obvious? I think this compounded  my confusion regarding what era the story wants to lean into... we're very modern with our LAN-Helsing internet connection but the  comedic effect of a 500 year old mmc grappling with modernity didn't pop off the page. This leads to the popculture references that didn't hit the mark for me, which is a personal preference. I understood the context of the name drops but, it felt out of synch. Examples included referencing a current NYTimes bestseller.

On the positivies, the story balances levity with weighty themes pertaining to both Winnie and Alarics' backstories. The explanation of hoarding behaviour and the empathy brought by Winnie was a standout. The trauma they both bring and their different coping mechanisms to living in the present are nicely dealt with.  Their fears, hopes and desires were very human at their heart. Even after Winnie discovers Alaric vampyr history she is able to see the "man" beneath the monster.

This was a quirky vampyr human romance with a murder mystery going on in the background.  I can see how this has a cult following in the indie market and the transition to mainstream will see Fangs for Nothing sink it's teeth into a brand new audience looking for a satosfying paranormal romp.  Perfect for the upcoming October spooky season.

A real take it or leave it story for me. Four stars because there's nothing wrong with the plot, characters or atmosphere. It's been well edited and it certainly establishes a world in which more stories can take place.

With thanks to the author, Steffanie Holmes, Simon and Schuster (Australia) and Netgslley for a copy of the eARC to read ahead of publication.

ARC Review✨
I loved this book, it was so much fun to read and I was hooked from the start. I liked both the FMC and MMC and was cheering them on, the side characters were memorable and so much fun and I also liked that the plot stood out just as much as the romance between Winnie and Alaric.

I liked the growth between Winnie and Alaric both together and individually, it was set at a really great pace and had the right amount of angst for me.

I also loved the friendships that were formed, and I just want to join in for all their book clubs! Might be dangerous, but it would be so much fun.

This was the first book by Steffanie that I have read and I now want to go back and read her other books.

I definitely need book 2 in the series now!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with the eARC.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Winnie Preston is a professional organiser brought in to whip a castle into shape for a vampire lord’s party—except, of course, she doesn’t know he’s a vampire. Cue the grumpy/sunshine dynamic: Alaric Valerian is broody, immortal, and vaguely exasperated by the whirlwind that is Winnie. She’s sunshine in a messy bun; he’s one dramatic piano sonata away from full Edward Cullen.

This is the first book in The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven series, and while it technically stands alone, it clearly shares DNA with Holmes’s Nevermore Bookstore world. Characters from that series pop in, and there’s definitely a sense of setting the stage for a longer arc—not just for Alaric and Winnie, but for the entire kooky coven. If you like series with ensemble casts and crossover characters, you’ll likely enjoy the vibe.

The tone is fun, flirty, and spicy, with a side of fake dating chaos when Alaric’s youthful-looking (but ancient) mother shows up with a potential bride in tow. Naturally, Alaric ropes Winnie into pretending to be his girlfriend. Cue the awkward encounters and simmering chemistry.

The romance has plenty of sparks, and I appreciated the emotional complexity woven into the story—especially the thoughtful exploration of hoarding and its emotional roots. Winnie’s reflections on her mother’s hoarding, and how she brings that empathy into her work, added unexpected depth. Her attempt to apply that same understanding to Alaric? Clever, and honestly, one of the most unique aspects of the book.

That said, the pacing didn’t always work for me. The murder mystery simmers somewhat on the backburner, and the middle section gets bogged down in repetitive internal debates and slow emotional push-pull. It dulled some of the swoon factor and made the book feel longer than it needed to be. And honestly, for someone surrounded by vampire red flags—coffin, nocturnal lifestyle, no food, pale AF—Winnie’s not clueing in that Alaric is, in fact, a vampire stretched belief a little too far. Girl, connect the dots.

Alaric is your classic tortured vampire—gorgeous, artistic, honourable, sexy—and those inner monologues hit all the right bloodlust-meets-heartache notes. Winnie, on the other hand, brings a grounded, emotionally intelligent energy to the page. They’re a good match, even if their romantic arc felt like it stalled halfway through.

Overall? This was fine. Fun in places, thoughtful in others, but not quite enough to hook me into the next book just yet. But if you’re into spicy paranormal romance with vampire angst, fake dating shenanigans, and a bit of murder mystery (or if you have read the author's previous books) you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC - all opinions, as always, are my own

This was an absolute delight to read. Full of magic, humour, tension and mystery in a gothic setting with an abundance of likeable and relatable characters with diverse representation of disability ,neurodivergence, sexuality and mental health.
This will appeal to a mass of people for a number of different reasons.
So well done

I loved this book. I wasn't sure if it was going to be more of a romance or murder mystery book, but I think it falls into the romance category. There is a murder or two, but we don't really get any clues to follow or solve, while we do get plenty of romance.
Our hero Aleric has plenty of issues. Being an ancient vampire, he's had plenty of time to accumulate all manner of objects and items. He's also got some personal issues, and the two combined turn him into a hoarder, perhaps not quite as bad as some of the people you might have seen on TV, but he's heading that way. Winnie, a professional organiser, certainly has experience of that, having had her mother to deal with for most of her life. I think that combination of unusual (in a romance book at least) mental issue and Winnie's attempts to deal with it, both directly with Aleric and the issues that her mother has created in her, makes a really interesting story.
Aleric is funny and it was impossible not to fall for him, which Winnie soon found out. There seems to be many reasons that they shouldn't be together, but it's clear from almost the start that they just work.
I haven't read anything by Steffanie Holmes before and was guessing she was Australian (sorry). I'm sure I'll be reading more in the future, as this was such a good story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I want to join a book club like the Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book CLub. It just seems like a lot of fun - slightly unhinged and hazardous, but a lot of fun. In this chapter of the club, they are investigating and befriending a sexy brooding vampire who could be a poster boy for ADHD and hobbies, and Winnie who has to try and wrangle said sexy vampire into cleaning up his castle in time for his mother to throw a ball. It has all the makings of a hazardous romcom, and it was just a really enjoyable read. (That being said, this is one of two books that I read in a week that threw me into a reading slump because I just needed more good banter and I could not find any in any of the other books I picked up).

I have read a lot of Steffanie Holmes’ books, there has never been one that has disappointed. Have to say though, the reference to her other books in this one made me giggle quite a lot. I cannot wait for the next installment.

Winnie is a professional declutter. After living with her mother, who is a complete hoarder, Winnie has no tolerance whatsoever for any sort of mess or clutter.

When Winnie inadvertently arrives a day early to job, she ends up in a bit of a predicament where she is saved unconventionally by a handsome stranger who turns out to be Alaric, the owner of the Black Crag Castle, where her decluttering job will be based.

The chemistry between Alaric and Winnie is palpable, yet Winnie is determined to keep a professional distance between them, but is also intrigued that Alaric seems to have a LOT of quirks to his normal daily routine. There are rumours about Alaric and the fact that he never seems to feel the cold and prefers to rest during the day couldn't mean that he is an actual vampire.... could it?

This was such cozy romantic mystery and I enjoyed every single minute of it! The chemistry and between Alaric and Winnie was sublime, the descriptions of the castle are so vivid and Mirabelle is just adorable!

I also loved the Nevermore Bookshop and the members of the Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven. It was such a fun read with a mystery with twists and turns that kept me intrigued through out the read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Steffanie Holmes for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Fangs for Nothing
💫💫💫

Thank you Netgallery for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

We meet Lord Alaric, a vampire with a castle he needs to declutter before a visit from his mother (we have all been there). He hires Winnie, a decluttering expert and when his mother arrives with a potential bride-to-be he propositions a fake engagement with Winnie.

I really like Alaric and Winnie. Their relationship growth was one of the most natural ones I have read, nothing felt forced. And Alaric's 'F*&k it' moment was so good and made me giggle a little.

Overall this book intrigued me but it fell short unfortunately. Because I had an issue with the amount of people being introduced that I did not know who was doing what, when or where. Also, I thought it was waiting for the sleuthing but nothing really happened till the end.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

This book just wasn’t for me. I was really excited to read it because I love paranormal rom-coms but this one missed the mark.

The book is well written but I found a lot of the jokes a bit cringey. That being said the writing style reminded me a lot of Sarah Hawley’s glimmer falls series and I know a lot of people who love that series and it also wasn’t for me, so I think this is a case of personal taste rather than Fangs for Nothing not being good.

I did really love the subtle nods to vampire stories that popped up through the book, for example the leader of the Nevermore coven being called Mina and the WiFi network being called LAN-Helsing.

This book had great potential, but from the first page I knew this was going to be a let down. The dialogue was cringe-worthy; the writing was just so bad, and the characters were so one-dimensional. Plus, the writer just overcomplicated this easy plot, which didn’t progress until 45% in.
2

Fangs for Nothing was like a breath of fresh air. It's been a while since I read any paranormal romance in this vein: with a dose of cosy humour alongside the action and romance. It had early series Sookie Stackhouse vibes at times, which I loved. Alaric and Winnie were both delightful characters who I was ready to get behind from the start, both in terms of them as individuals and in the romance stakes. The romance part progressed nicely and felt realistic throughout. As well as there main pairing, there were well-drawn, memorable side characters, and the plot held interest outside of the romance line. I would happily read more books from this author in the future, and I am happy to see vampires making a bit of a comeback lately after what felt like a dearth of good vampire fiction for a few years. I am giving this book 4.5 stars. It's well worth a read if you enjoy vampire tales and the cosy end of paranormal romance.

This started off so freaking good and had an abundance of absolutely hilarious lines that I felt compelled to write down because I was really looking forward to this review. Lines like:

'I figured you can never have enough god juice'

'This castle has seen some shit'

'Cool it with the gargoyles dude. No one's that Goth'

and my absolute favourite:

'This place looks like a junk store had a drunken hate fuck with a Jackson Pollock'

Sadly this was the last line I wrote down and things just went downhill from here. Full disclosure, I DNF'd this at 45%. It just started to get rambly and ridiculous, and not in the good fun way.

What ended up pushing me to the end of DNF territory was this scene where Alaric and Winnie are at the local pub and he has ordered her dinner. Just after it arrives and she takes a few bites, he is all 'I have a terrible secret that I have to tell you but before that I need to taste you one more time'. Cue the passionate making out and then they are racing home (what about that food you left behind?!). When they get home and Winnie is all lets go to bone town, Alaric is all no, give me this last night before you hate me and walks away.

Argh...sadly this is not the first time Alaric has run away. I get that books need conflict to keep us interested but I was very happy to get off this seesaw.

I've read a lot of Steffanie's books in the past and read the first 6 Nevermore Mystery books which this one is a spin off from and I was nice to see Mina and Quoth in this one. This book is possibly longer than her normal books and maybe if it had more editing to keep things a little tighter it might have been better?

Thank you to Simon and Shuster and Netgalley for the eARC and because I am on holidays and currently typing this in the comfort of my dressing gown, I have given an honest review.

Pre thoughts:
Vampires?

Post thoughts:
- love a book with a map
- Cozy vibes
- Great pacing, the beginning is great.
- A man with hobbies the standard from here onwards.
- Loved how the book club took Winnie in.

Overall
I need the next book in this series. It was a 5 star read and had great development between the FMC and the MMC. The side characters were lovely.

Tropes
- slow burn
- Small town
- Paranormal romance
- Age gap

Stars 5/5 ✨
Spice 2.5/5 🌶️

Thank you to Net gallery and Simon and Schuster (Aus) for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.