So this book very much struct me as a fantastic beasts and Sherlock Holmes smashed together.

There's plenty blood and gore!

I wouldn't say this has a title of a vampire book as there's very little actual vampire action which I was sad about as it seemed promised.

In a sentence this book is a who dunnit with beasts and a slow burn love story!

4*

The premise of this book is so fun. I love fiction-mashups and taking women from two such similar worlds grabbed me immediately!

Sadly, the execution didn't go the distance for me. I pushed on, but kept getting thrown out of the story until I realized I was just getting frustrated rather than enjoying myself.

The characters don't seem quite real, and nobody speaks like an actual human. Van Helsing's son is an abusive asshole for no apparent reason - most of the men in this book appear to be condescending Victorian stereotypes.

I wanted to engage with Sam and Hel's relationship but it just wasn't there. They didn't gel at all for me (why is Sam is obsessed with how Hel speaks?), and the undercurrent of Imminent Betrayal Only Not was very heavy-handed.

A small pre-publication issue: I think the ARC could also do with another editorial pass. There's a lot of continuity errors and repetition, to the point where I wanted to shake Sam and tell her 'Yes, I KNOW.'

This could've been great, and I'm sure others will enjoy it. But I couldn't finish, I'm so sorry.

I wouldn't say that historical fiction is an apt genre for this book, but it was still a fantastic read! Initially, I thought the mixing of literary characters and figures from different time periods would be too much of a melting pot, but it ended up being just the right amount of crossing over, along with new material. The characters are relatable and the plot has great twists and turns that kept me guessing. It is, at the end of the day, a kind of "whodunnit" piece, but definitely stands out thanks to the unique premise and masterful writing. I'm really hoping there is a sequel!

a fabulous historical fiction with gothic vibes and strong female leads! what's not to love! loved the paris setting and atmosphere.

I read this and sat a few days on it to gather my thoughts. I’ve decided that as a stand-alone book, it’s okay. However, as the beginning of a series, it’s great. I was left wanting to know more about the characters and their relationship. The mystery itself was relatively easy to follow, I just wish I saw more growth with the characters and with each other

Samantha 'Sam' Harker wants to get out of research and into the field, but to do so she must work with the dangerous Dr Helena Moriarty, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.

As they investigate a monster killing men in Paris ,both are keeping secrets....

Really interesting world building going on. We have the Holmes stuff, Dracula, and the monster hunters Sam and Hel work for. It's also written well in a modern style, thankfully. It is primarily a supernatural mystery novel, and if you were expecting a romance you'd be disappointed.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

Okay I loved it. I'm such a sucker for anything Sherlock Holmes and Dracula. This was so well written and just adored the characters

I rated this book 5 stars because I loved every single second of it. Such a unique story and fabulous characters. Everyone please read this asap.

I always enjoy a good monster story! I love all the different monsters and lore behind them, intertwined with the overarching mystery. I felt both the Sherlock Holmes and Dracula influences, and it does a good job of paying homage to them. The characters were compelling with lots of twists and turns. The dynamic between Sam and Hel was definitely a highlight and I enjoyed how their relationship slowly progressed. The author did a great job of making this monster-ridden, bloody Paris feel very real. All in all, a highly enjoyable read.

3.5 stars. I wanted to love this one but the pacing was a little slow and it was just missing… something. I don’t know what it was but it just fell a little flat for me.

I wanted more character development and more connection between Sam and Hel— it’s billed as a queer story but they shared one kiss and very little chemistry.

This is a gorgeous debut by the author, clearly well researched and cleverly crafted. I adored early 20th century Paris as a setting, made all the more interesting with fantastical beasts and other curious creatures. I must say where the novel isn’t so strong is in the interpersonal -there is supposed to be a blossoming romance happening between the main characters but there isn’t actually an awful lot of interaction between them; they seem mainly focused on solving the series of crimes they’ve been assigned mostly separated, only to come together occasionally. Sam seems more romantically interested in each of the men she comes across, which is strange when she then suddenly throws herself at Hel. We are left with an incredibly slow burn which I hope might continue to develop in future novels. The book is clearly set up to have a sequel, and I have liked this enough to want to read on.

Only one bugbear… surely it’s will-o-the-wisps??

No, two bugbears, actually… I did school French so was able to translate about half of the French in this book… but having to turn away to look up phrases on the regular ended up being quite distracting. If you do not want the translations within the text, perhaps add a glossary to the back? I think the general French comprehension of the average reader has been greatly overestimated!

My kindle formatting was unfortunately broken. I wasn't able to read so leaving five stars. I saw a note about "EPUB available late May" so I will try downloading again later in the month.

Good luck to Inky Phoenix Press on your first launch!! Rooting for you :)

Field Agent, Hel Moriarty (Helena), and Sam Harker (Samantha) Research Librarian. for the Royal Society of Abnormal Phenomena are sent to Paris to solve a series of murders that seem to be the work of a werewolf.

Paranormal mystery, very light same sex elements, strong feminist theme.