Thank you NetGalley and Creature Publishing for this ARC!!

What a fun read! I wish it was out already, so I could recommend it to everyone as a beach read. Loved both the characters and the world they lived in. Perfect for fans of What We Do in the Shadows.

If you ever wondered what happens when you mix vampires with a sea voyage, Lindsey Merbaum has a fun, queer answer. Vampires at Sea is a dark and addictive read with a great hook that pulls you in from the first page. The characters are sharp, the humor is witty, and the stakes, no pun intended, are high. Merbaum crafts a world that feels both fresh and classic, with a narrative that has a certain charm. While the journey itself is a whirlwind of mystery, romance, and bloodlust, the overall plot sometimes meanders, and the conclusion could have been more impactful. It's an easy escape that is still a good time.

Well this is certainly a unique spin on vampires! I loved the humorous tone throughout, and the pages flew by.
More queer vampire cruise stories, please! This felt so refreshing and fun to read!

This book was atmospheric and engrossing. I loved how the plot twists started from the very beginning and kept going. I really like how the author played with perspective to subvert expectations. I definitely want to read more from this author

This book had an interesting premise, however the writing was not for me.

Since I did not get to the end I will not be making a public review,

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this ARC.

I’ve come across this novella being compared to ‘What We Do in the Shadows,’ and I suppose I understand why people have made that connection but for me; I loved WWDITS but I didn’t love this…

While I had high hopes for this novella, I must admit that I found myself growing increasingly bored. I struggled to grasp what elements of the story made it a horror. I’m not particularly fond of ‘spice,’ but this just felt rather flat and uneventful.

On the positive side, I did appreciate certain aspects of the writing style. This is enough to pique my interest in reading more of the author’s work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read this title.

I really enjoyed this novella is was quite quirky and ambiguous. I loved the unique take on vampires and their open relationships. The exploration on how even though a relationship may be open and agreed upon by both parties doesn’t always reflect equality in each partner’s experience. I also really enjoyed the exploration of jealousy and greed.

Really interesting and enjoyable read overall.

errrg i really tried. had to dnf 😭 this book tried to be sexy. was not sexy, i couldn’t relate to any of these characters and i felt like they were sorta just narcissistic and not bad ass. i think this book is a good fit for other people maybe! just not my style of book.

Rating this book required me to break down the reasons I find a book interesting. I’d say it’s a combination of good writing that gets the point across, and an entertaining plot. Considering I read only fiction, these are my only criteria. But this book confused me.
At first I liked where the plot was going, because threesome angst? It’s usually fun, and just a little stressful. But this headed into heartbreak territory so fast. I deeply sympathised with Rebekah (even though I wouldn’t like her very much in real life, but maybe that’s the point of a lust-consuming vampire?) and hated Heaven’s guts, but I found myself disliking Hugh even more simply because I couldn’t understand him at all. In another situation, it could help the readers relate to Rebekah’s confusion, but it ended up giving me a vague sense of disconnect. In a story where everything was carefully detailed and mentioned for a reason, Hugh was very frustrating to untangle.

But the conclusion was gratifying, and the writing is impressive. Rebekah’s voice adds a casual dispassionate sexiness to the narrative, and later, a very believable jealousy and wretchedness. The transition was smooth too! There’s much to like about this book, but it didn’t quite manage what the writing could have achieved.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

I was instantly intrigued when I first read the blurb for this book. Queer vampires on a cruise sounded so fun and weird and exactly like the type of thing I’d love. Luckily, I did love it, but it was tonally very different from what I’d anticipated. While there’s moments of levity, it’s actually kind of a somber book about loneliness and memory. The main character Rebekah is my favourite type of narrator to follow; someone who’s kind of unlikeable but so honest about themselves that they end up being endearing, to me at least. I loved her inner monologue as she reckoned with her feelings for her partner and the new presence of ‘Heaven’. It was so brutal and I loved the unflinching look at how love can become obsessive and twist you up inside. I’m a big vampire fiction lover, especially when writers acknowledge the tropes synonymous with vampires and do something interesting with it. Here, the ‘feeding’ the vampires engage in is that of feelings. They gorge themselves on fear, pain and pleasure instead of blood, with each vamp having their own preference. I think that’s such an interesting way to play with the vampire mythos. For example, in this universe they’d be feared bc of how they can manipulate you into feeling and doing anything they wanted to satisfy their needs. So good, I’d highly recommend!

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up.

This was a fun read, the main character Rebekah has a humourous tone in her narration and makes many funny comments throughout the novel.

Rebekah and Hugo embark on a queer cruise, hoping to spice up their very longgg [open] marriage after a mishap with one of Rebekah’s lovers. Rebekah normally has many lovers whereas Hugo does not. However, when they get on the cruise, the two meet non-binary Heaven. Hugo is immediately enamoured with them, while Rebekah has suspicions about Heaven having ulterior motives.

Rebekah investigates while Hugo falls more deeply for Heaven. Sex, orgies, and lots of jealousy ensue.

I thought this was quite funny but can see based on the reviews that this might not be for everyone.

To note, while there is lots of sexual content, it is low in explicitness and often passes quickly & vaguely.

Firstly, look at that cover!!!! Of course, I needed to read this book. Could you blame me?! Unfortunately, I really did not like it. It was advertised as a sexy LGBTQIA+ horror, and it has the first part but the horror?! Unless spending 14 days insanely jealous on a queer spicy cruise is horror, I didn't get horror..
It was a super quick read, so I finished it, but I kind of wish I didn't. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the plot.. there is an audience for this book I'm sure, but it wasnt me.

I just…did not enjoy this, personally. The pacing was fast, there was little world building, little backstory or depth to the characters, and at times I felt a bit lost on what was actively going on because things weren’t being described or elaborated on to the audience.

The queer and poly representation also felt lacking, if not problematic at times, despite being a queer poly book.

I guess I’m just not entirely sure what the point was? What the book/story was striving to achieve? Meaning there was promise but it didn’t stick the landing. For example, the emotion vampire concept? Thats so cool, I wish it had been explored more thoroughly! Or the MC getting flashbacks of her past self (or previous lives, maybe?) because she’s so old she doesn’t remember who she was before anymore? Also a cool thing I wish had more page-time! It feels underdeveloped, essentially.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lindsay Merbaum, and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book interesting and fun, but I felt like it was a little too short. 3.5 stars.

Rebekah and Hugh decide to go on a queer Black Sea Cruise. They have a secret that they don't want anyone to know. they are centuries old vampires. The meet Heaven, an influeancer and Rebekah and Hugh both become enamoured by them. Now Hugh is acting strange and Rebekah realizes that she is losing him to Heaven's charms. This is a hilarious and spicy book that will have you wanting more of Hugh and Rebekah. The ending was not what I expected and felt that their was more to Hugh and Rebekah's relationship and the book wasn't yet finished with them. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Creature Publishing for letting me read an advanced copy of this novel.

So cruise horror is becoming a thing and I highly recommend everyone read some while on vacation this summer. It's fun, it's low commitment, and 99.9% of the time, your vacation will be better than their vacation. Or at least, that will definitely be the case with Vampires at Sea.

Love bites. Especially on a luxury liner.

Rebekah and Hugh are ancient, sexually fluid vampires who sign up for a two-week cruise to unwind. What better way to feed than aboard a floating buffet of horny queer passengers trapped in the middle of the ocean? It’s indulgent, decadent, and delicious.

At least, it was—until they cross paths with Heaven, a magical, nonbinary influencer with a mysterious allure. Heaven has eyes only for Hugh, and despite Rebekah’s sultry attempts to intervene, Hugh falls hard. Rebekah, consumed by jealousy, spirals into a sex-and-feeding frenzy while trying to expose Heaven for what they truly are: something dangerous, possibly otherworldly, and definitely not part of the cruise itinerary.

It’s a bloody good time, with literally no gore, even when it loses its head a little.

I'm sad to report that this book didn't do it for me.

I was so excited to read about queer vampires on a boat. However, I found the main characters insufferable, and not the "I can't look away" type. I couldn't connect to them at all, and I really thought I would given I'm polyamorous, queer, and love vampires. There was not a lot of actual "vampire" going on. Ultimately, despite the pretty writing, I found this book shallow and I wanted so much more from it.

There is an audience for this, but it is not me. This should be listed as dark romance with a sprinkle of vampires. It is a short one so I did finish it,but kept waiting for more vampires.
Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read.
1.5 star

So Vampires at Sea was different, probably one of the most unique books I've ever read. But in a good, intriguing sort of way! 🦇

The writing is quite poetic 🤔 and with it being set on a cruise basically for monsters and fantasy creatures I can genuinely say it's a one of a kind story.
I think the main characters are quite memorable, and I remember what happened which is a big deal for me 🤣

It made me laugh throughout for sure, I kind of wish it was longer and went more into some of the lore? 🤔 But maybe that's not what this book is about and its just a shorter story with the main events in full view.
I just had a fair few questions throughout and at the end which I'm not sure will be answered 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'd recommend this one for sure if you like to read fantasy style books with abit of a twist. It is abit spicy too 🌶 I found the whole thing really well rounded.
Thankyou so much to Net Galley books for sending me this, it was heavily enjoyed 🥰

Thank you to Creature Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was ridiculous and fun in the best way possible, though I wish we had more answers. The writing is poetic, and these characters are Lazlo and Nadja coded (from What We Do In The Shadows) FOR SURE, which only added to my enjoyment. It was a book about relationships, temptation, and narcissism, rolled into one quick story. I would have read this as a full length novel to get further answers about Rebekah's past, Hugh (in general), and more about Heaven, shape shifters, the war... basically more detail about everything. Additionally, I found the end a bit rushed, but loved the journey of self-discovery.

This book definitely won't be for everyone, but I enjoyed the ride.