Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me and I did DNF it.

I loved the concept - vampires on a queer cruise and saw a lot of reviews noting it was very in the style 'What We Do in the Shadows', but unfortunately the over the top smut and narcissism was a turn off for me, and the writing style ultimately didn't connect.

I think it's safe to say that despite the premise, this is not one for me but readers of dark spicy romances with horror elements will probably devour this and as a novella I urge others to pick it up and give it a try.

Absolutely ate this up.

It’s a novella about slutty emotional vampires on a cruise. Funny, witty, snarky and hot!

What a fun little trip. I hadn’t read a book like this before and really enjoyed every minute.
Rebekah and Hugh are a married couple of vampires that go on a vacation and they come across a new person, Heaven and fall into their orbit which is potentially magical and dangerous.

I don’t think this comes out until October but what a perfect book for a summer vacation.

Thanks to netgalley and creature publishing for an eARC

“Immortal beloveds Rebekah and Hugh are on vacation! Against a backdrop of ongoing war, this pair of chic emotional vampires from San Francisco sets off on a queer Black Sea Cruise, eager to relax, join an orgy, 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.” (Back Cover Description)

I love vampire novels because everyone has their own interpretations and views of how they live, feed, and act. Rebekah and Hugh, although never explicitly said, are vampires who feed off the desires, pleasures, and sorrows of humans. Rebekah has narcissistic tendencies and feeds off the adoration and desires off her prey. She is often having sex with humans and is consumed with youth and her appearance since that’s what she uses to hunt. Hugh is an artist and uses his art to drain his audience of their sorrows and pain allowing him to feed. The two have been together for a very long time and take a cruise to reignite their relationship after an incident with one of Rebekah’s lovers left Hugh scarred and upset. On the cruise the couple meets Heaven and right away Rebekah is entranced by them. Heaven turns out to be a magical being themselves and has their own plans for Hugh and Rebekah.

There were many things about this novel that worked. I liked Merbaum’s interpretation of vampires and the other magical beings in the book, especially Heaven’s character. Heaven is non- binary and this fit her character once you find out what they are (no spoilers!).
I also liked the aspect of Rebekah’s and Hugh’s relationship being explored and tested. Although they are vampires they still feel intense human emotions and we see Rebekah’s destructive nature come to the surface when she is faced with jealousy.

Merbaum’s writing was easy to follow and reading about vampires relationship issues was humorous. Just when you thought Vampire novels couldn’t get any hornier, they do. I expect a lot of SMUT when it comes to vampires and Merbaum exceeded my expectations!

The only thing that I have to say about this novella is I wish it was longer and I wish we got different POVs from the other characters.

Merbaum delivered a sexy and smutty- horror comedy that shows even soulless beings can still feel intense human emotions.

I want to thank NetGalley and Creature Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’d recommend Vampires at Sea to a reader looking for a Queer, shorter beach read they can bite into in one sitting - while I felt a slow start, the story has an interesting main character and is overall enjoyable! Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an ARC through NetGalley. This review is written voluntarily. This review may contain light spoilers.

This is an interesting take on vampires, it feels suitably fantastical and the other mythical characters are equally eccentric and dangerous feeling. The plot itself has a slightly laboured feeling build, which considering how short the novel was frustrating but once the conflict begins, the writing became more dimensional. I felt pulled into the character and her emotional struggle and the pace and prose made you feel almost drunk. I felt the boredom of these ancient characters, flitting between the present and the past. The antagonist and their actions felt enticing, well thought out and at times, scary.

The attraction and romance were believable throughout, especially between the main character and her partners. However, some of the sex scenes felt simultaneously smutty and awkward - the passages gave you the lead up explicitly and then a fade to black which felt oddly juxtaposed when reading.

Throughout the story, an external war occurring within Rebekah’s world is mentioned and while it does provide a level of eeriness to some scenes, I feel it could be seen as unconsidered. It makes sense, as a being that has experienced countless tragedies that the MC may become desensitised to war, however it doesn’t seem to have much weight on the story and it’s outcome.

“Queer vampire polyamorous cruise” sounds like the fever dream of a bisexual goth in heat—and honestly, I was ready to be bitten. What I got instead was less plot and more undead Real Housewives on a booze cruise. This novella isn't so much a story as it is a chaotic moodboard of one (very self-absorbed) vampire sashaying from one melodramatic entanglement to another while everyone else on board tries to have a collective existential crisis in peace.

The plot? Lost at sea. Vanished somewhere between the third orgy and the philosophical monologue about mirror selfies.

And yet… the writing? Absolutely feral—in the best way. Stylish, sharp, unbothered by traditional narrative structure, and dripping with the kind of self-aware flamboyance that says, “Yes, I did eat your boyfriend. He was delicious. Moving on.”

I wouldn’t call it a must-read, but I’d absolutely attend the author’s next unhinged literary pool party. Bring your garlic-scented SPF and leave your expectations on the shore.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. I did ultimately DNF.

I was really interested in the What We Do in the Shadows vibes other reviewers had mentioned, but unfortunately I didn't get that. Writing style felt clunky and distant.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me, so I DNFed. I was really intrigued by the concept: vampires, queerness, and fantasy horror comedy. I went in thinking the style of humor would work for me. But instead of being drawn in, I ended up feeling more and more distanced from the characters, until I just couldn’t connect enough to keep going.

I think this will be a huge hit for a lot of people and I would recommend to a certain type of reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a gluttonous, slutty, ridiculous ride! I did not think this book was gonna be as funny as it was. There were multiple times that I laughed out loud and that doesn’t happen often for me.

A toxic, self-centered vampire on a queer cruise with her husband (also a vampire)….what could possibly go wrong?! This book felt extremely self-aware and kept cracking me up with the pop culture jabs.

Even though the main character was awful I could not help but relate to her. Rebekah was especially relatable when she kept using “We are on vacation!” As both an explanation and excuse for different experiences she was having.

If you like vampire books that are unhinged and make you laugh, give this a chance …preferably while you’re on vacation!!

Rebekah and Hugh are on holiday. It's time for these emotional vampires to have some fun aboard a queer Black Sea cruise. With the promise of orgies, relaxation and gorging themselves on the guests, Rebekah thought it would be the perfect adventure, but things start to go wrong when Hugh becomes enamoured with another guest. People are going missing, Hugh is acting weird and Rebekah just may have bitten off more than she can chew.

I had some trouble with this book, and i think it's because i wasn't sure what genre i was reading. I couldn't figure out if it was satire, horror or fantasy. I think it's a bit of all those things.
It's the type of book that I wish I could discuss and do a deep dive into all the symbolism and meanings behind the choices.
The cruise was a ship of extravagance and gluttony; the cruise setting was a war-ravaged area which covered in smoke and sirens.
The characters were having romantic sexy rendezvous on the deck, while bodies were being thrown overboard without them noticing.
The concept of emotional vampires and other mystery beings was really cool.

Rebekah and Hugh were horrible people. Selfish and extreme in their thoughts and behaviour. Rebekah is our narrator. She is unreliable, a little unhinged and an absolute force. Her power isn't overtly violent, but she can kill. I didn't like her and she doesn't need me to. I enjoyed her. I enjoyed watching her fight for the person she loves and I especially loved the moment she decided to love herself more.

That ending was satisfying.

Thank you for the ARC!

As soon as I first read the blurb for Vampires at Sea, I was hooked. Queer representation? Vampires? Alternative, nonconforming relationship dynamics? Sign me up.

But the novel fell short of my expectations. Rebekah, Hugo, and Heaven are never entirely fleshed out. There is so much about each of their backstories that went unsaid, and so much of their personalities that only grazed the surface. While it was a quick, easy read, I didn't care for any of the characters because there was so little substance to each of them and yet so much potential! Why can't Rebekah remember her past lives? Why is Hugo so static? How did Heaven come to be what they are, and how did meeting Hugo and Rebekah change them? Are there other kinds of vampires, and what exactly is the history of vampirism for this author and novel? What is the "war" that is briefly mentioned and yet never really explained? These are just a few of the questions I was left with at the end of the novel. It read like something that wanted to be an episode of What We Do in the Shadows and yet couldn't pull the comedy-horror landscape off as well (there was nothing comedic nor horrifying about this novel). Rebekah and Hugo seemed like stand-ins for Nadja and Laszlo. On top of that, the writing was shallow and unorganized. At times, the writing style appeared to be improving--and nuancing the plot--only to shy away from the depth the novel could have held.

All in all, I'm left severely disappointed. The premise had such deep promise and such poor execution. I would be willing to read another novel by this author in the future, but I so wish this one had lived up to the hype. A few more rounds of revision, I think, would have fixed many of the issues I see within it.

I really liked this! It's kinda like Nadja and Lazlo from what we do in the shadows go on queer, very horny cruise. It was a fun read, but it felt rushed. I think both Hugh and Rebekah are energy vampires? they didn't really explain how they both feed. Some other questions weren't answered, like what is this war that's going on, who threw the person overboard, what was the deal with the cruise? I wish there was a few more chapters so that Hugh could be fleshed out a bit more but also so the ending didn't feel as rushed.


Thank you Netgally and publishing for the ARC copy of this! I will definitely check out more of this author

This was an unhinged ride with not a lot of likeable characters or much of a plot. Despite it being a novella I would have liked something somewhat more coherent or explained/fleshed out - like, what war is going on in the background that keeps being casually mentioned??

Overall a fine read but not something I'll be thinking about after putting it down. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Vampires At Sea follows Rebekah and Hugh, married centuries old vampires, as they take a two week queer cruise on the Black Sea. On board the ship, they meet Heaven, an enthralling social media personality, that the couple become enchanted by.
I loved this quirky little book. Rebekah was hilarious, and I really wanted more of her and Hugh. Heaven was an interesting character, if not all that likeable. I did wish this was longer, so that both the war in the background, and Rebekah and Hugh's backstory could be more fleshed out.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Vampires At Sea in exchange for my honest review.

Vampires At Sea by Lindsay Merbaum
2.5/5

A fun and sexy romp that offers up a lot of cool ideas that leave you wanting more than the page count can deliver.

Initially I liked the simplicity of Merbaum's setup: two immortal vampires on a queer cruise whose lives are intercepted by an intriguing stranger. In and of itself this arc is handled relatively well, though the nature of Heaven's existence is only briefly touched on in any great detail. Unfortunately the book fell apart as more subplots got introduced and subsequently abandoned: Rebekah's apparent memory loss, the disappearing bodies, the war. All of these could have been expanded on to develop this into a proper novel, but leaving those hints without any resolution was unsatisfying.

Rebekah and Hugh being emotional vampires was an interesting twist on the traditional and I liked the exploration of their unique tastes in that regard. I felt that Hugh was positioned as the most developed character, and although Rebekah was an amusing narrator, she should have been offered more growth in the second half of the story. Heaven was, I assume, meant to seem mysterious but also needed much better development to appreciate the threat they posed. The allegory for non-binary/gender fluidity that was at play sometimes veered into problematic territory for me.

The writing was my favourite part of the experience. Even though the inner voice of Rebekah skewed far too modern to be believable for a vampire of her age, it was funny and easy to read and set a good tone for the story overall. If the full expanse of Merbaum's ideas had been explored in depth, this could have been a really wonderful novel, but as it stands it's just an okay novella.

"He's very excited. He keeps touching things for no reason: his hair, elevator buttons, gold banisters. Normally, Hugh wouldn't lay a hand on any of this, he doesn't like germs. They can't harm him, but neither can musical theatre and he can't stand that either."

A quick fun read about two vampires that go on a cruise vacation to help mend their relationship. Expecting to feed off the lonely cruise-goers, Rebekah and Hugh meet a mysterious person named Heaven who quickly becomes their third. Their vacation soon spirals out of control- who really is Heaven? Why do people keep disappearing? And how can Rebekah be sure she isn’t becoming obsolete in her own relationship?

I loved this author’s take on vampires and their powers. They aren’t overly explained and the reader has to piece things together. The story is narrated from Rebekah’s point of view and I thought her view of humans was really accurate (and funny) considering she is an immortal monster. Both protagonists are narcissistic and self-serving. Overall I recommend this as a funny vacation read that explores themes of desire, power, and the nature of relationships!

A book overflowing with possibility – political intrigue through a cruise on water amid war on land, desire-driven queer vampires, and orgies – Vampires at Sea promises the most. The first few lines lure us in with lyrical imagery of the Black Sea, but then... “We’re on vacation!” The bubble built in those first few lines pops as if popping a child’s balloon – in short, it’s disappointing.

The voice shifts from mature and lyrical to teenage Mean Girls 2.0. Throughout the story, the narrator shifts from being on-board with her partner loving another to hating her partner’s lover’s guts and back again so quick I’m constantly given whiplash. The narrator is hot then they’re cold, but not in a fun way like desire and orgies may promise. The sex is without emotion, breezed over, and ultimately unsatisfying. And the war doesn’t seem to fit; it was unclear to me why it was included in the first place aside from producing some unnecessary and ineffective angst.

I can see what the author is trying to do – create a humorous work that contrasts most vampire books that are laden with the macabre, but the humor ultimately fell flat for me, and the repetition of “We’re on vacation” had me rolling my eyes harder each time it was written on page (which was an absurd amount of times). I felt removed from the characters, and so I pushed through while not caring what happened at all. I wish I felt a greater connection, but the flippant nature of most of the narrator’s internal monologue had me detached and uncaring. And most side characters were not on-page enough for me to care about (or even remember) them in the end.

I love a good story with a messy narrator, but this is beyond messy – it's sloppy and not well-curated. Overall, Vampires at Sea brims with potential, but in its immature, annoying narrator, it falls dramatically short, into the realm of disappointing.

This book is a perfect blend of comedy, smut, and vampire shenanigans.
I reccomend it to anyone which loves smut and vampires.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Vampires at Sea sets up an intriguing premise—a vampire couple on a Black Sea cruise with relationship issues and a mysterious nonbinary influencer thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, the execution doesn't quite live up to the concept.

As it is such a short novel, the story moves quickly, but that brevity comes at a cost. Key elements feel underdeveloped, and the emotional arcs—especially Rebekah’s personal evolution—don’t quite land. There are interesting ideas here, especially around queerness and identity, but they're more gestured at than explored in depth.

Overall, it’s a bold swing stylistically, but the story lacks the substance to make it stick. Best for readers drawn more to tone and provocation than cohesive storytelling.

okay I really liked this one. there is a very particular writing style and plot going on here, and it won't be for everyone. this truly captures "stream of conciousness" in novel form. I felt a little confused until about halfway through then flew through the rest of the book while nothing on a grazing plate over the kitchen counter at 10pm, as one does. that was unplanned, but felt like the novel could be described this way too. berries, crackers, cheese, chocolate, dim lighting and too much booze. yes, specifically "booze" and not any other way to describe an alcoholic beverage. dark skies, warm breezes and falling stars. emotional vampires are on a queer cruise and there are undeniable connections between Rebekah's husband, our emotionally drowned, melancholic, photographer husband, and the new young sparkling unicorn influencer, who is champagne with frozen berries as ice. if you ever feel like hyperventilating on on your knees, kneeling and dizzy on a grassy hill on a warm summer night (in a good way), then this is for you.

This story has

-vampires and other occults
-LGBTQ+
-polyamorous representation
-mystery

This gave very 90's vibes

An average read overall