Vampires at Sea is a wild, horny, blood-slicked ride aboard a hedonistic cruise through the Black Sea. Rebekah and Hugh, emotional vampires with baggage and bite, just want a chill getaway. Enter Heaven, a shape-shifting influencer who throws their plans (and their poly vibes) into chaos.

This novella is messy, smutty, and utterly self-aware. Rebekah’s voice is sharp, snarky, and gloriously narcissistic. The plot is delicious chaos. Think What We Do in the Shadows meets The L Word, but at sea and everyone’s fangs are out, literally and emotionally.

It’s not here to solve war or reinvent the vampire genre, but it is here to entertain. And oh, it does.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for this weird, sexy cruise. I need a cocktail and a lie down!!

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*

This book is about two pansexual vampires going on a cruise ship in order to have an orgy / lots of sex. This part does not scandalise or shock me, just the opposite really: I was thoroughly bored. Yes, it's queer and partly funny but I didn't like our main character, I didn't really find the 'story' interesting and I didn't really care for any of it. At least this was a very short read.

I was anticipating this book, but I ended up not loving it. There were aspects that I enjoyed, and I did like the writing style during some parts, but overall I never felt that I cared much about the characters. Some other parts crossed the line of cringey to me and made it difficult to embrace the writing as a whole. I feel that the vampires in supposedly vampires at sea got lost and that it should not really be described as a horror novel.

I think I was expecting more vampire shenanigans than I got but I did enjoy the couple drama as a marriage drama of sorts. I also was very intrigued by the idea of like sticking the immortal creatures on a smorgasboard of victims and then seeing the mess that turned out in a very Only Lovers left Alive but on SEA kind of dynamic.

This novel was a fun read. The main character is a vampire, which upon starting, I assumed was the traditional, suck blood for hunger type of vampire. I was mistaken. The vampires in this novel are energy vampires, which, considering the setting of the novel (a cruise), the reader would assume that they would have no complication in feeding their hunger. The plot is simple but engaging. This novel is brief exploration into commitment, includes a variety of identities without it being the main focus, and ends with an open question for the reader about what to do when things don't turn out as planned?

Bit weird but thoroughly enjoyable.
Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you interested right to the end.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

I was really interested on the summary of this book but I'm afraid something got lost in the middle.

The concept of the vampires on a cruise was on its own amazing to me because canonically vampires can't cross bodies of water... so kudos for the clever moment. That being said... I felt something was lacking.

Don't get me wrong, I really liked Rebekah and Hugh, but something didn't quite click for me.

The book builds up and while a slow climb I do think it was very enjoyable. Funny and witty tho maybe... not lusty enough?? I feel like I got in expecting a really horny book and that quite wasn't what I got. But hey, who am I to judge a vampire by their sex life?

The writing is funny and witty, the book is very fresh and the characters lovable if excentric in all the right ways.
I liked it very much!

This book was a complete fever dream – a crossover of vampirism, but with emotions instead of blood. Modern day influencers meet older vampires, or are the influencers also monsters? A typical cruise ship…a fancy cruise ship...how long is this cruise? I wish I had a bit more of a back story when I started this book so I could have followed along better and understood how these vampires were “vampires” and where they came from. The story is very unique and had a very interesting plot…also, there’s a lot of adult activities occurring. With a lot of partners. Is this a sex cruise? I’m still unsure, but I was definitely entertained.

Thank you to Creature Publishing and NetGalley for an E-ARC copy of this book.

There’s vampires on the cruise ship, what could go wrong? A vampire couple, feeding on strong (and different) emotions decide to try something new and they join a queer cruise. On the ship they fuck and explore new and intriguing forms of hedonism, when they encounter a nonbinary social media influencer named Heaven. It becomes clear they aren’t human either. Soon Hugh has fallen under their spell and Rebekah struggles to come to terms with the duality of jealously and desire battling within her.
If you like your vampire stories bloody, this is not the story for you. If you like them sexy… Meh, also not really (for a book that claims to dive into hedonism, most of the actual sex is deeply unsatisfying). But if you like emotional vampires with issues, selfish, horrible queer people and someone breaking out (or being broken out of) their everyday trot then you will find this here. We follow Rebekah, a vampire who has grown compliant living with her artist husband, feeding just enough to stay sated. When Heaven unsettles the balance, they have built together, Rebekah has to confront her hunger and her past. She is an incredibly interesting character, jealous and bitchy and selfish and to me intriguing (sometimes you just enjoy a horrible, problematic woman, who revels in her own pity even though everybody knows she suuuucks). I also really liked Heaven, nonbinary shapeshifter, homewrecker extraordinaire, selfish and horrible and oh so sexy. And I was deeply intrigued by the hate-interest-jealousy thing Heaven and Rebekah had going on (although I wish that had been explored in more depth! They were the most interesting characters after all and should have been the main focus tbh.) I wish Hugh had been fleshed out a bit more and I did not see the appeal Rebekah (or Heaven) saw in him because he just didn’t get enough depth.
I also did not get a real horror vibe from this, it is more queer vampire satire than anything even remotely scary and I would have liked to learn more about Rebekah’s past, but if you like what we do in the shadows and criticism of stan culture you might be more interested by this than I was. Just don’t go into it expecting any actual horror or erotica.
All in all, an interesting beach read if you like messy women, who feed of your emotions, satisfying for the short snack that it is, but not leaving me sated either.

TW: alcohol, slight issues of consent due to vampiric powers (already existing lust gets enhanced), death, gore, jealousy, violence

A vampire couple goes for a holiday - but they don't anticipate the queer influencer, Heaven, to be a wrench thrown into their relationship. This sets off a series of events and twists that are totally unexpected and very entertaining. It's a great read for anyone looking for a 'What We Do In the Shadows'-esque character study that explores vanity, narcissism and jealousy!

received this as an e-arc!

this book is strange in the sense where i really wanted to like it but there was something about it that prevented me from doing so. i personally am a fan of gratuitous sex scenes but the ones that were in this book confused me. definitely could tell that the scenes were not meant to arouse but then that provoked the question in me that was like 'oh okay, what is this for?' is to establish a power dynamic? is to establish a 'secret' relationship? it left me just kinda... confused?

that's how it was like the entire book frankly. i wanted to be more invested in the characters, in their pasts and their stories but in the end, what i got was a self-discovery journey in which i barely cared for. i mean like, i liked the main character, rebekah, but i wasn't so much Rooting for her so unfortunately, this book just missed the mark. i get where it wants to go and what it wants to do but yea, execution-wise, it could've been better. i will say though, i appreciated it for its witty and candid humour! i think more queer books need to be that way and this one definitely hit that mark for me.

I think this book was a bit lost at sea… I feel like this one suffers from lost potential.

Vampires on a cruise… The blurb had sounded fun and intriguing. I think I was expecting something with a bit of biting, dark humour. But, alas, the plot seemed unsure of what it wanted to be. The book blurb says “…Rebekah begins to question her past, much of it lost to time” So I was expecting more in the way of flashbacks, but it barely touched on anyone’s past. And I really wanted to know more of Rebekah and Hugh’s back stories, but was left longing.

And the mention of a war going on was just weirdly placed and kind of irrelevant to the story.

Some of the writing was truly stunning. It had hints of the kind of prose found in Rice’s vampire novels, but it was inconsistent. Similarly, there was signs of humour, but again, it was fleeting.

I think I just really wanted the story to pick a direction, more of the gorgeous prose, more of the dark humour, and go somewhere a bit more exciting.

𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒚.

Deliciously wicked, hilarious, and utterly unapologetic

Vampires at Sea is a wild, irreverent ride that gleefully tears apart vampire tropes while serving up sharp wit, smutty chaos, and emotional depth in all the right doses. Rebekah and Hugh are the perfect pair of chic, narcissistic emotional vampires—equal parts glamorous and unhinged—and their misadventures on a queer Black Sea Cruise are as outrageous as they are compelling.

The book balances absurd comedy and erotic horror with surprising insight into relationships, identity, and desire. Rebekah’s unraveling as Hugh falls for the enigmatic Heaven is darkly funny but also strangely moving. There’s real emotional undercurrent beneath the satire, making this more than just a campy romp (though it’s definitely that too—in the best way).

If you’re tired of brooding vampires and looking for something bold, queer, and full of bite, Vampires at Sea is your next must-read. It’s weird, wild, and wonderful.

I'm still not entirely sure what I read or what the point actually was. But I did enjoy the shapeshifter aspect of it and that Rebekah was able to walk away on her own

I thought this was written for me: a queer horror book about vampires on a cruise with a stunning cover, yes PLEASE?! It was fine I guess and it may be perfect for someone else but it never quite delivered for me.

Lots of unanswered questions remain at the end and I can’t help but feel that the authors goal of creating a meaningful/symbolic story came at the expense of actual story.

I did like that these weren’t traditional vampires but the story lacked on the horror element that was promised.

I thought it was interesting how Hugh ended up being spiteful of the life they lived that was tailored and created for his comfort.

LINDSAY MERBAUM THE GAY YOU ARE!!!! I loved this. Ate it up in one sitting, as is wont to do with Novellas. Thank you so so much NetGalley for this arc. I felt seen and it was hot. Seriously, the devotion within the relationship and the unabashed sluttiness outside of the relationship were perfectly balanced. Truly, such a fun read, got me out of a reading rut I was stuck in for a bit. Pretty sure I will be purchasing a physical copy once it's published!

Horny vampires on a queer cruise?? This is a short but fun read with romantic gothic vampire vibes but also keeping it light with a funny vibrant style

wow… this sure was a book a read. I honestly have no idea what to say. I was so excited for this book and am grateful I got it as an ARC, but sheesh this was hard to get through.

First of all, they are on a queer cruise because they got a coupon, as immortal beings with more than likely unlimited resources, and they us go on this cruise for shits and giggles? It’s basically just a sex cruise.

I’m allllll for a spicy queer book, but omfg what was this??? The way things were described was so uncomfortable and not at all how a person would speak. Even an ancient immoral vampire. It’s like AI wrote a lot of it. It’s so clunky.

This part really got me. What is happening??
"My gaze doesn't latch. They're not looking at me. They only have eyes for Hugh, who's sporting a pleasurably dazed expression, like an infant drunk on brandy. I direct my body at them, put an elbow on the table, and prop up my teacup breasts."

Truly, what? I'm supposed to relate and know what it's like to be a drunk baby?? Be for real.

I LOVE the cover of this book and was so excited for it. But good god this book was bad. It for sure has some bones, but the way the bones were arranged did not work out.

What an astonishing read this was. I can only describe it as like walking into a shared lucid dream. Evocative writing, and what an imagination!

Loved it, thank you so much.

I think the thing that attracted me the most was the cover and the title, the cover is absolutely chaotic and I love it.

It’s a short story, about 180 pages, and the author did a great job of fitting a whole novel into those 180 pages. I loved the main character Rebekah, I loved how much she loved herself, and she was very entertaining.

If you love short stories and vampires, Vampires At Sea needs to be on your radar !