I don’t really know how to feel about this book. However, I couldn’t put it down. I would say my rating is 3.5 starts more than 4 but NetGalley doesn’t let you do half star ratings.

We following two vampires (what type of vampires I can’t figure out- is it emotional? Sexual? What is going on) Rebecca and Hugh/Hugo while they travel the Black Sea on some kind weird creature sex cruise. There they meet their Unicorn Heaven. However, there is a lot of jealousy from Rebecca’s pov. While she tries to discover what Heaven is and what they want with Hugh/Hugo.

I thought the writing was funny at times, but a bit long winded at other times. And I’m gonna be completely honest, a good bit of this book, I had no idea what the point was. Like what was the book trying to say?

Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum is a captivating read, rich with gothic atmosphere that truly draws you into its world. The story’s unique setting on the high seas adds an adventurous and refreshing twist to traditional vampire lore, making it feel both new and intriguing. Merbaum’s writing style is vivid and engaging, skillfully painting an eerie world filled with complex, well-developed characters. While I thoroughly enjoyed the imaginative plot and the immersive mood, there were a few moments where the pacing slowed down, which briefly pulled me out of the story.

Definetly not what I expected to say the least. I did like the writing style tho, but the story had me confused the entire time. There was just a lot of sex and then more sex and nothing else. I just don’t get the point

I was a bit lost with this story. I wasn't a big fan of the characters, and wasn't fully sold on the plot. I loved the premise of them needing a vacation and deciding to take a cruise. I. think it could have done a better job at setting the scene and diving deeper into the plot. Thank you for the ARC

This book has a very specific audience that will love it but unfortunately, I’m not a part of that audience. I got about 25% through the book before I had to stop reading. The characters were frustrating at times, and I found it hard to follow sometimes.

The writing was captivating, and I’d definitely consider trying this author again.

I was so excited to read this book, and it saddens me to dnf-ing it and giving a one-star rating. As you can see, the book itself is not long, but it took me a whole three weeks to get to the quarter point and I just can't do it any more.
The book has a very flowery language, but it doesn't flow the way one might expect it to, making reading even more excruciating than it already is, with bits of information hidden so masterfully I can not really say what the book is about even after reading a quarter of it. The author emphasises physical desires and sexual tension, and it feels like trying to conceal the shallowness of it all. Definitely not my cup of tea

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with the ARC

Brief overview of the Premise
Rebekah and Hugh go on a much needed vacation. They are desperate to find some fresh blood to sink their teeth into. They head out on a queer cruise and the party is raging. While there they find Heaven, a delectable morsel of an influencer. Unfortunately, Heaven ends up getting more than their claws dug deep into Hugh, (this is not a pun). Rebekah in attempts to fend off her jealousy, she thrusts herself into Heaven but she had bit off more than she can chew. (That is a pun). 😊

Rating overall
⭐⭐.25

Themes
Toxic Love, LGBTQ sexuality, Rekindled Flame, Vampires.

I am making this one short because this was just okay for me. I did not vibe with this book. The characters were all thoroughly unlikeable so I didn’t care about any of them. The sexy bits were good. I did not find it funny at all. I thought that the location was fun and exciting given the plot. I was more interested in the war that was sparsely mentioned than any thing else was happening.
Who would I recommend to: 🦗 🦗 🦗 🦗 (those are crickets). If you want smutty vampire sex at sea then you may like this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me ARC access to this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book should have been a smutty, super-queer horror-comedy featuring unbridled narcissism. It had some elements of these characteristics but nothing extraordinary. I was expecting something else.
This book was not for me but it can be your perfect read!

'We’re on vacation!'

Vampires at Sea claims to be a book about a centuries old vampire coping with her husband falling in love with a new partner while they vacation on a queer cruise and is left to consider herself beyond her husband and the life she’s led thus far, a concept that sounds like quite the entertaining, light ride with some interpersonal drama and development. However, the novella ultimately stumbles through this premise with little grace and all the energy of a malfunctioning stairlift.

The style of writing is simple, and its use of first person narration helps centre us in the quick thoughts of the protagonist, Rebakah. Such simplicity makes the repetition of thoughts and feelings and the rather surface level exploration feel dull and draining to read through rather than light and fast paced. In addition, the narrative slogs along with seemingly little interest in delving into the main concerns of Rebakah’s inquiry into Heaven, her husband’s new lover, and her constant jump from hatred for intense lust.

Which is another topic, the sex. While I’m no prude when it comes to sexual content in books, I would argue it, like everything else within a narrative, deserves to be put forth with some level of interest or entertainment. In this case, the sex serves as almost a distraction from the plot, pulling Rebekah, who in the last half seems entirely uninterested in it and yet still partakes in it excessively as a coping mechanism (I assume), away from her own inner thoughts as if the author themselves is refusing her the space to begin the development which is promised in the synopsis.

The ultimate betrayal of this novella is that it is boring, plain and simple. And while I’m certain there are people who will find the vampiric protagonist entertaining and the pleasantly packed queerness within the plot fulfilment enough, I was left dragging my feet along until the very end.

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 non binary social media influencer named Heaven, Rebekah’s reality capsizes. As she comes to terms with a future she never imagined, Rebekah begins to question her past, much of it lost to time. Ultimately, her journey becomes one of self-discovery, and acceptance of her true nature. A smutty, super-queer horror-comedy featuring unbridled narcissism, Vampires at Sea is a hilarious and satisfying snack!

Vampires at Sea had a fun premise, emotional vampires on a queer cruise! The execution just didn’t fully land for me. The sense of humor is bold and the concept original, but the story leans so hard into camp and chaos that the plot sometimes gets lost. Rebekah’s journey of self-discovery has potential, but I found it hard to connect with the characters. It’s a unique, smutty horror-comedy for sure, just not quite for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

Literally everything about this book is firing on all cylinders—on paper. I find that more often than not I’m saying books can shave off a hundred or so pages but here’s a book that actually could have used an extra hundred to really flesh out all the chaos that could have been rewarding and fun with more care.

Thank you for the arc but I really couldn’t get into this book. I wasn’t particularly interested in the characters and as short as it the story was didn’t have any real bite.
I love the cover though that’s what initially drew me in.

ARC Review – Vampires at Sea by Lindsay Merbaum (Rounded from 2.5)

First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. As an avid book lover, it still feels surreal to receive these early copies—such a dream!

That said, Vampires at Sea was a mixed bag for me. I’m rating this 2.5–3 stars—not because I think it’s a bad book, but because it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally. I always want to emphasize that reading is subjective—and that’s what makes it so magical. What didn’t work for me might absolutely work for someone else, especially if they’re into satirical gothic horror with heavy erotic elements.

The premise pulled me in right away: Rebekah and Hugh, long-time partners, take a discounted queer cruise, where they encounter other passengers including a non-binary influencer named Heaven. I liked the structure of the story—each day broke down events in a way that made the book easy to binge.

However, I struggled to connect with the characters and was often confused by the plot and vampire lore, and honestly a little bored. The book leans more into eroticism and satire than horror or fantasy, and while I appreciate bold storytelling, I found it more “telling” than “showing.” Just when the plot was going somewhere - Rebekah would be having sex and feeding off of someone (random or one of the main characters) which ultimately lead to feeling more distant from the story.

Ultimately, I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. I’ve only read a few books in horror/gothic genres before, so this may resonate more deeply with readers who enjoy campy erotic satire. I’m still glad I gave it a chance—it was a unique experience, and I appreciate what the author tried to do!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read this!

"It finally dawns on me that something is wrong aboard this ship, something beyond my own personal hell. It turns out, it's actually hell for everyone. We're on vacation!" - Vampires at Sea, Lindsay Merbaum

Thank you to Amanda Manns for providing this free advanced reader copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

Spoiler Alert.

The Vampires Rebekah und Hugh decided to book a queer cruise, because, yay, they are on vacation! The immortals look forward to join orgies as they need to feed on the passengers feelings. Here comes Heaven, a non binary influencer, who wraps Hugh around their finger. Rebekah is flabbergasted and tries to get him back, somehow.

I wish I could be more positive and like this book just a tad bit more. It just didn't provide the fun and horror I hoped for. As we read through the eyes of Rebekah, we don't discover much of her personality. She has a superiority complex and is very egotistical. I understand that is how she is supposed to be (she is a immortal vampire, duh) but the sudden change to an anxious vampire, put me off.

I didn't like any characters in this book. Everybody was too much but also nothing. The side characters were forgettable and Hugh had no personality at all. Everyone fell flat for me. I think if we could've spent more time on going deeper with Rebekah's and Hugh's relationship I could've cared more for them. Heaven was just confusing. I know that this was probably the goal but I still didn't understand their intentions. And the dynamic between Heaven and Rebekah was just awkward to read.

The books promised to be a super queer horror-comedy with smut. I get the comedy but I didn't enjoy the smut - and I usually like my books hot & spicy. The smut in Vampires at Sea felt too forced and too in the face on how great Rebekah performs. And yes, she performs sex (acrobatics!), it didn't feel natural. And then there was a ongoing war? It seemed too random and sudden. I also would've liked more info on that. Either I forgot that it was mentioned or there was never an explanation?

I fear, I only ranted on this book so far. Vampires at Sea was not the worst I've ever read - it was still entertaining enough, I just would've liked more depth. I just was expecting more?

I still rate it 2/5.

This is exactly how I expect my Vampires to act!
There is nothing better than a new arch nemesis to entertain you away from your boring Husband
Even better if they are an evil non-binary shapeshifter.

This was everything I love about queer literature and queer culture.
May we all be weird, beautiful, Evil, grotesque and Celestial until the end of time!

Did I truly gain anything by reading this? No. Did I still enjoy it? Absolutely lol this was full of queerness and sex and vampires and fun! A short read with lots going on, and just when you think they have had all the sex they could in a novella, they have more 🤣

Thank you NetGalley and Creature Publishing for this ARC!

I think my main problem with this was that it just wasn’t what I expected. They’re emotional vampires, not like actual vampires but they’re still like really old? The queer aspects of this also felt really cheap, stereotypical, and tacky. I found myself thanking god that this was so short because I did not want to know these characters any longer. Also, I thought this was going to have like sexy, slutty, fun but everything is so glossed over??

Overall, this bummed me out the entire time I was reading it.

This wasnt really what I was expecting when I read the description.

It was a fun short read but I feel like it lacked any depth. The characters seemed a bit two dimensional so I didn't really feel connected to them.

The story also felt rushed at times, it felt like the whole story could have taken place in a few hours rather than over days.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for providing me with this arc

Um, well the author does say they write "strange tales," and I think this fits the bill. I did not finish this novella because it was just a little too odd for me. It is well written, but it was all just a bit too much for me.


Thank you to Creature Publishing and NetGalley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own